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Funding Opportunities

Filter and sort active funding sources to find programs that meet your community's needs. This page focuses on opportunities available to local governments, with occasional listings for related programs when a local government is a required partner or when participation may support local recovery efforts.

All information is provided as a starting point; users should verify eligibility, deadlines, and requirements directly with the administering agency.

Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) Program

Opportunuty Url:
https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-se...
Federal / State / Local / Private:
Federal
Disaster specific?:
Yes
Disaster declaration required?:
Yes
Current Status:
Open
One time or recurring opportunity?:
Recurring
Responsible Organization:
USDA Rural Development
Contact info:
Garland Burnette, Director, Community Facilities/Program Support & Acting Rural Business and Cooperative Services - phone: 919-873-2063 Email: garland.burnette@usda.gov
Assistance Type:
Grant
Application Link:
https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-se...
Application Criteria:
  • Applicant must be:
    • A public body
    • Nonprofit organization
    • Federally recognized tribe
    • Rural cooperative
  • Project must benefit rural areas generally under 50,000 population
  • Must support business development, job creation, or economic growth
 
  • Must meet USDA eligibility and federal grant requirements
Partnership required?:
Yes
Type of Partnership:
Optional (regional economic development partnerships encouraged)
Rolling/ Fixed Deadline:
Fixed
Single or Multiple Deadlines?:
Multiple
Application Deadlines:
  • June 15, 2026
  • June 30, 2026
Who's Eligible?:
  • Federally recognized tribes
  • Nonprofits
  • Units of local government
Who is not eligible?:
Individuals and most for-profit businesses as direct applicants
Eligible Uses:
  • Administrative & Compliance Costs
  • Long-term Recovery
  • Planning, Resilience & Mitigation
  • Public Buildings & Facilities
Additional detail on uses:

Funds may support:

 
  • Small business incubators
  • Workforce development
  • Technical assistance
  • Rural entrepreneurship
  • Business opportunity studies
  • Equipment and facility improvements
  • Economic development planning
Prohibited Uses:
  • Direct grants to individual businesses
  • Most real estate acquisition
  • Projects outside eligible rural areas
  • Ineligible operational expenses
Award Mechanism:
Competitive
Match/Cost Share:
Yes
Match/Cost Share Details:
No federal match requirement, though leveraging other resources is encouraged
Payment Mechanism:
Reimbursement
Award Selection Criteria:
  • Economic impact and job creation
  • Rural benefit
  • Feasibility and readiness
  • Alignment with local/regional economic development goals
  • Population and economic distress considerations
Specific Compliance Requirements:
  • Must comply with federal grant regulations (2 CFR 200)
  • Environmental review may apply
  • Financial and performance reporting required
 
  • Federal procurement standards apply
Procurement:
Federal procurement requirements apply
Resources, Pro Tips, Trainings
Pro Tip:
There is no maximum grant amount; however, smaller requests are given higher priority. There is no cost sharing requirement. There are two types of RBDG projects, Opportunity grants and Enterprise grants. Opportunity type grants are limited to up to 10 percent of the total Rural Business Development Grant annual funding. Enterprise type grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application.
Trainings
Funding Resources