Rural Business Development Grants (RBDG) - FY 2025
| Agency: | U.S. Department of Agriculture |
|---|---|
| CFDA: | 10.351 |
| Federal FON: | RDBCP-RBDG-2025 |
| Office: | Rural Development (RD) Rural Business-Cooperative Service Program Management Division |
| Multipart Grant: | No |
| Next Due: | 02/28/2025 (Application) |
|---|---|
| Solicitation Date: | 10/18/2024 |
| Match Required: | Recommended |
| Match Type: | Unspecified |
| Actual Funds: | $30,000,000 (Estimated) |
Summary:
The purpose of this program is to promote economic development and job creation, funding various business and community projects that serve rural areas. Awards will be provided in the categories of business opportunity awards and business enterprise awards.
Business opportunity projects must be in compliance with eligible uses as stated in 7 CFR 4280.417(a) that include the establishment of business centers or providing funds for job training and leadership development in rural areas. Business opportunity projects must be consistent with any tribal, local, and area-wide strategic plans for community and economic development, coordinated with other economic development activities in the project area, and consistent with any Rural Development state plan. Business opportunity projects may include:
- Community economic development
- Technology-based economic development
- Feasibility studies and business plans
- Leadership and entrepreneur training
- Rural business incubators
- Long-term business strategic planning
Business enterprise projects must be in compliance with eligible uses as stated in 7 CFR 4280.417(a)(2) and are to be used to finance or develop small and emerging businesses in rural areas. Enterprise award purposes include:
- Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling and training, market research, feasibility studies, professional or/technical reports, or producer service improvements
- Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights-of-way; construction, conversion, and renovation of buildings; plants, machinery, equipment, and access for streets and roads; and parking areas and utilities
- Pollution control and abatement
- Capitalization of revolving loan funds, including funds that will make loans for startups and working capital
- Rural distance adult learning for job training and advancement
- Rural transportation improvement
- Community economic development
- Technology-based economic development
- Feasibility studies and business plans
- Leadership and entrepreneur training
- Rural business incubators
- Long-term business strategic planning
Projects that will advance the following key priority areas are encouraged:
- Creating more and better markets: assist rural communities to recover economically through more and better market opportunities and through improved infrastructure.
- Advancing racial justice, place-based equity, and opportunity: ensure all rural residents have equitable access to the funding agency's programs and benefits from projects funded by the funding agency
- Addressing climate change and environmental justice: reduce climate pollution and increase resilience to the impacts of climate change through economic support to rural communities
Eligibility Notes:
Eligible applicants are:
- Public bodies
- Government entities, including state government agencies, towns, and communities
- Federally recognized tribes
- Nonprofit entities primarily serving rural areas
- Rural cooperatives
- Institutions of higher education
Projects must benefit rural areas or towns outside the urbanized periphery of any city with a population of 50,000 or more. Eligible areas can be verified online at eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov.
Set-aside funding may be available for the following types of applicants:
- Federally recognized Native American tribes
- Rural Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Community/Rural Economic Area partnerships
- Applicants for projects in persistent-poverty counties or Native American persistent-poverty areas, as defined on page 2 of the NOFA file
- Applicants for Strategic Economic and Community Development (SECD) projects
Refer to page 2 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding eligibility requirements to qualify for set-aside funding.
Priority will be given to projects that:
- Serve rural communities whose well-being ranks in the most distressed tier of the Distressed Communities Index
- Are located in or are serving communities with a score of 0.75 or above on the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI)
- Are proposed by federally recognized tribes, including tribal instrumentalities and entities that are wholly owned by tribes
- Include at least 50 percent of beneficiaries who are members of federally recognized tribes; as well as non-tribal applicants that a tribal resolution of consent from the tribe or tribes that the applicant proposes to serve
- Are proposed by application from or benefit a Rural Partner's Network's (RPN) community network
Refer to page 4 of the NOFA file for details regarding these priority considerations.
Applicants for set-aside funds may not submit a duplicate application for regular program funds.
Hemp producers or processors are ineligible unless they have a valid license issued from an approved state, tribal, or federal plan, as detailed on page 2 of the NOFA file.
For-profit entities are not eligible to apply.
Eligible Applicants:
Local GovernmentAcademic Institutions
Native American Tribe
Non Profits
State Government
Application Notes:
Applications must be received by 4:30 p.m. local time on February 28, 2025.
To initiate the application process, applicants must contact the appropriate state office of the funding agency listed online at www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices.
Applications must be submitted to the appropriate state office of the funding agency. Applications may be submitted in hard-copy or electronic format. For projects involving multiple states, applications must be submitted to the appropriate state office where the applicant is located.
Applications must include:
- Application form
- SF 424
- SF 424A
- RD 400-1: equal opportunity agreement
- RD 400-4: assurance agreement
- Certification for contracts, grants, and loans
- Environmental documentation checklist
- Strategic economic and community development information form
- Environmental information packet
- Intergovernmental review comments
- Nonprofit organization or public body documentation, as listed on pages 3-4 of the Application file in the Application folder (as applicable)
- Summary information
- Applicant type
- Project eligibility
- Scope of work
- Written narrative
- Appendices, as detailed on page 5 of the Application file in the Application folder
Applications must be submitted as a single package and include a table of contents, if applicable.
The following are required in order to submit an application:
- Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
- SAM (System for Award Management) registration
- SPOC (state Single Point of Contact) notification
Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam. Applicants in states participating in the SPOC program must contact the relevant SPOC listed in the SPOC file before applying.
Optional application technical assistance or other application guidance may be requested from the funding agency, using the information provided in the Contact section, by February 10, 2025.
Applications will be evaluated in accordance with the priorities established in 7 CFR 4280.435. Discretionary points may also be awarded by the funding agency with justification, as detailed on pages 4-5 of the NOFA file. Application evaluation criteria will include:
- Evidence showing job creation at local businesses
- Percent of nonfederal funding committed to the project
- Economic need in the area to be served
- Consistency with local economic development priorities
- Experience of the applicant with similar efforts
Refer to the NOFA file and Application folder for additional application information.
| Match Required: | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Match Type: | Unspecified |
| Actual Funds: | $30,000,000 (Estimated) |
Match Notes:
Matching funds are not required for this program; however, applicants that provide matching contributions may be awarded additional points during the application evaluation process. In order to receive these additional points, a firm commitment in writing of other funding for the project must be included with the application.
Funding Notes:
An estimated $30 million is expected to be available to support awards through this program. Awards generally range from $10,000 to $500,000, however, there is no specific maximum award amount, and smaller requests are given higher priority.
Up to 10 percent of the total funding available through this program will be allocated to business opportunity awards.
Set-aside funding may be available for the following types of applicants:
- Federally recognized Native American tribes
- Rural Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Community/Rural Economic Area partnerships
- Applicants for projects in persistent-poverty counties or Native American persistent-poverty areas, as defined on page 2 of the NOFA file
- Applicants for Strategic Economic and Community Development (SECD) projects
Funding will be provided on a reimbursement basis.
Set-aside awards are anticipated to be issued on May 31, 2025. Regular awards are anticipated to be issued on August 31, 2025.
The project period will span from June 1, 2025, to September 30, 2027. Projects are expected to be completed within one year.
Pre-award costs will only be permitted with prior written approval by the funding agency.
Funds may not be used for:
- Expenses incurred during application development
- Renewal or supplementation of projects
Contacts:
Cindy Mason
cindy.mason@usda.gov
Agency Address
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
1400 Independence Ave., SW
Mail Stop 3226, Room 5160-South
Washington, D.C. 20250-3226
Contact Notes:
Questions should be directed to Cindy Mason, or to the appropriate state office of the funding agency listed online at www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/state-offices.
Applications must be submitted to the appropriate state office of the funding agency. Applications may be submitted in hard copy or electronic format.
The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.
Files:
NOFA File: US15723_NOFA_FY2025.pdf (276.2 Kb)Other Pre-Award File: US15723_Overview_FY2025.pdf (212.0 Kb)
Application File: US15723_Application_FY2025.zip (1.0 Mb)
Federal Forms:
SF 424 (144.4 Kb)SF 424A (131.6 Kb)
SPOC (67.7 Kb)
RD 400-1 (148.2 Kb)
RD 400-4 (69.3 Kb)
File Notes:
The NOFA file contains the full solicitation for this program. The Application folder contains required forms for submission. The Overview file contains general program information. The required federal forms are attached. The SPOC file contains information on the state Single Point of Contact program. Information regarding previous awards disbursed by the funding agency, including awards for this program, can be found online at www.rd.usda.gov/about-rd/grant-awards.
Grant Keywords
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Community DevelopmentEconomic Development
Training & Vocational Services
Rural Issues
Transportation