Rural Business Development Grants in Alaska

USDA: Rural Development (RD)

Deadline: Feb 29, 2024 5:30pm PST

Grant amount: Unspecified amount

Funding uses: Project / Program, Capital Project

Location of project: Alaska

Location of residency: Alaska

Overview:

What does this program do?

This program is designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Small means that the business has fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue.

How much funding is available?

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.

How may Enterprise type funds be used?

• Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling/training, market research, feasibility studies, professional/technical reports, or product/service improvements
• Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights of way; construction, conversion, renovation of buildings; plants, machinery, equipment, access for streets and roads; parking areas and utilities
• Pollution control and abatement
• Capitalization of revolving loan funds, including funds that will make loans for start-ups and working capital
• 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

Opportunity grants can be used for:

• Community economic development
• Technology-based economic development
• Feasibility studies and business plans
• Leadership and entrepreneur training
• Rural business incubators
• Long-term business strategic planning

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website.

Eligibility:

• Who may apply? Rural public entities including, but not limited to:
• Towns
• Communities
• State agencies
• Authorities
• Nonprofit corporations
• Institutions of higher education
• Federally-recognized Tribes
• Rural cooperatives (If organized as a private nonprofit corporation)
• RBDG funds must be used for projects benefitting rural areas or towns outside the urbanized periphery of any city with a population of 50,000 or more. Check eligible areas.

Preferences:

• All applications are evaluated based on:
• Evidence showing job creation at local businesses;
• Percent of non-federal funding committed to the project;
• Economic need in the area to be served;
• Consistency with local economic development priorities;
• Experience of the grantee with similar efforts; and
• Other factors described in the current Notice of Solicitation of Applications (NOSA), if one is published.