USDA offers rural business grants
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May 14, 2013 |
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today
announced that USDA is seeking applications from
qualified organizations to provide technical
assistance to rural businesses to help them
expand and create jobs.
The United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) remains focused on carrying out its
mission, despite a time of significant budget
uncertainty. Today's announcement is one part of
the Department's efforts to strengthen the rural
economy.
"These grants will help businesses get access to
planning, mentoring and other services that can
help ensure their success," Vilsack said. "This
assistance will provide development and
managerial services that often are not readily
available to businesses in rural areas, part of
the Obama Administration's effort to accelerate
the resurgence of manufacturing and create jobs
across the country."
Funding will be provided through USDA Rural
Development's Rural Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG)
program. Up to $2.6 million is available through
this notice. The maximum grant is $100,000.
Grants may be used for feasibility studies,
strategic planning, leadership training and
other types of business development activities.
Eligible applicants include public bodies,
non-profit corporations, institutions of higher
education, Indian tribes and rural cooperatives.
USDA Rural Development is also soliciting RBOG
applications to support a new Obama
administration initiative called Investing in
Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP).
USDA is partnering with the Commerce Department,
the Small Business Administration and
Environmental Protection Agency to promote
development of new manufacturing jobs.
RBOG
applicants, for example, could seek grants to
help rural communities develop long-term
strategic plans for their manufacturing sectors
or to provide training to entrepreneurs who want
to create manufacturing businesses in rural
areas. Applicants who receive RBOG funding
complementing the IMCP initiative may later be
eligible for larger grants directly through the
initiative.
Some of the funding available under this RBOG
notice will be made available for projects
benefitting federally recognized Indian tribes
and projects benefitting Rural Economic Area
Partnerships. The remaining funds are open for
national competition.
The RBOG program and other USDA business and
cooperate development programs have had a
significant impact on rural communities. In 2012
alone, they helped almost 10,000 rural small
business owners or farmers improve their
enterprises. Business and cooperative program
funding created or saved an estimated 53,000
rural jobs in 2012.
For example, in 2011 USDA Rural Development
awarded a $50,000 Rural Business Opportunity
Grant to the Scott County Economic Development
Corporation to improve economic conditions in
rural southeastern Indiana. USDA's RBOG funds
are helping support the Mid-America Science
Park, which is a business incubation and
workforce development center in Scottsburg, Ind.
The application deadlines for Rural Business
Opportunity Grants are June 30 for partnership
funds and June 28 for all other requests. For
additional information on how to apply, see the
May 14 Federal Register, page 28184, or visit
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-05-14/html/2013-11451.htm.
President Obama's plan for rural America has
brought about historic investment and resulted
in stronger rural communities. Under the
President's leadership, these investments in
housing, community facilities, businesses and
infrastructure have empowered rural America to
continue leading the way – strengthening
America's economy, small towns and rural
communities. USDA's investments in rural
communities support the rural way of life that
stands as the backbone of our American values.
President Obama and Agriculture Secretary
Vilsack are committed to a smarter use of
Federal resources to foster sustainable economic
prosperity and ensure the government is a strong
partner for businesses, entrepreneurs and
working families in rural communities.
USDA, through its Rural Development mission
area, has a portfolio of programs designed to
improve the economic stability of rural
communities, businesses, residents, farmers and
ranchers and improve the quality of life in
rural America.
USDA has made a concerted effort to deliver
results for the American people, even as USDA
implements sequestration – the across-the-board
budget reductions mandated under terms of the
Budget Control Act. USDA has already undertaken
historic efforts since 2009 to save more than
$828 million in taxpayer funds through targeted,
common-sense budget reductions. These reductions
have put USDA in a better position to carry out
its mission, while implementing sequester budget
reductions in a fair manner that causes as
little disruption as possible.
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