Rural Business Opportunity Grants (CFDA 10.773)
 Purpose
The Rural Business Opportunity Grants (RBOG) program is intended to assist in the sustainable economic development of rural areas by paying the costs of economic planning for rural communities, technical assistance for rural businesses, or training for rural entrepreneurs or economic development officials.
Eligibility
Grants may be made to public bodies, nonprofit corporations, Indian tribes, and cooperatives with members that are primarily rural residents and that conduct activities for the mutual benefit of the members.
Comments
For this program, a rural area is defined as any area of a state that is not within the boundaries of a city with a population in excess of 10,000 inhabitants.
Contact
Contact a Rural Development office
or
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Specialty Lenders Division
Stop 3225, Room 6767
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250-1521
202-720-1400 http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs
Rural Business Enterprise Grants (CFDA 10.769)
Purpose
Rural Business Enterprise Grants are used for a broad number of funding areas. Eligible activities include developing, constructing or acquiring land, buildings, plants, equipment, streets, and roads. Building necessary water supply and waste disposal facilities is also an eligible activity. RBEG funds can also be used to create, expand, or operate rural distance learning networks or programs that provide educational or job training instruction related to potential employment or job advancement to adult students.
Eligibility
Applicant. State and local government entities, tribes, and nonprofit organizations that serve rural areas are eligible.
Beneficiary. RBEG grantees must use the funds to assist small and emerging private businesses that will employ 50 or fewer new employees and have less than $1 million in projected gross revenue.
Terms
There are no matching requirements. Fund are allocated to states based on size of rural population and percent of nonmetropolitan per capita income.
Comments
For this program, a rural area is defined as a city, town, or unincorporated area that has a population of 50,000 inhabitants or less, other than an urbanized area immediately adjacent to a city, town, or unincorporated area that has a population in excess of 50,000 inhabitants.
Basic Instruction
Instruction 1942-G
Contact
Director
Specialty Lenders Division
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington , DC 20250-3222
202-720-1400
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs
Community Facilities Loans and Grants (CFDA 10.766)
Purpose
This program makes available direct loans, loan guarantees, and grants for community facilities that provide essential services to rural residents including community centers, hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, libraries, schools, and fire protection.
Eligibility
Public entities, Indian tribes, and nonprofit organizations are eligible. The community to be served must be a rural area, town, or incorporated area with less than 20,000 population.
Terms
RHS can guarantee up to 90 percent of a commercial lender's loss. Direct loans may be made to applicants who are unable to obtain commercial credit. Grants are typically used to fund projects under special initiatives, such as Native American community development efforts, federally designated Enterprise and Champion Communities, and others. A grant may be used for up to 75 percent of a project's cost.
For direct loans, interest rates vary depending on the median income of the community. Rates and terms for guaranteed community facility loans are negotiated by borrower and lender.
Comments
Priority for funding goes to health care facilities and public safety purposes such as rescue or fire protection facilities.
Basic Instructions
Instructions 1942-A , 3570 and 3575
Contact
Contact a Rural Development office
or
Deputy Administrator
Community Programs
Rural Housing Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250-3222
202-720-1490
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs
Rural Capacity Development Initiative (CFDA 10.446)
Purpose
The Rural Capacity Development Initiative (RCDI) was created in 2000. It is intended to develop the capacity and ability of nonprofit community-based housing and community development organizations and low-income rural communities to improve housing, community facilities, and community and economic development projects in rural areas. Through RCDI, RHS provides grants to intermediaries (including HAC in funding year 2001 and 2002) to provide technical assistance to qualified organizations.
Besides aiming to improve recipients' organizational capacity by training and resources, the funds are used to develop the capacity of recipients to conduct community development programs and initiatives, to leverage and access alternative funding, to develop successful community facilities, and to assist recipients in completing pre-development requirements for housing and community facilities.
Eligibility
Eligible intermediaries must be private nonprofit organizations and must have at least three years of experience working with nonprofit organizations.
Terms
Applicants must provide matching funds from non-federal sources in an amount at least equal to the federal grant. Past grants to intermediaries have ranged from $50,000 to $1 million.
Contact
Community Programs
Rural Housing Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Stop 0787
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250-0787
202-720-1498
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/rcdi/index.htm
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