Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Joel Baxley today announced that USDA is accepting applications for grants to help socially disadvantaged groups develop business and strategic plans in rural areas.
USDA is making grants available under the Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant program. Eligible applicants include cooperatives, groups of cooperatives and cooperative development centers. The grants are intended to help disadvantaged groups develop the capacity to implement plans and undertake projects to improve economic and social conditions.
A socially disadvantaged group is one whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic or gender prejudice because of their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual qualities.
Electronic applications must be submitted to grants.gov by June 3, 2019, at midnight. Paper applications must be postmarked and mailed, shipped or sent overnight no later than June 7, 2019. Paper applications can submitted to the applicant’s nearest USDA office by June 7, 2019, at close of business local time. Additional information is available on page 13877 of the April 8 Federal Register.
USDA encourages applications that will support recommendations made in the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB) to help improve life in rural America. Applicants are encouraged to consider projects that provide measurable results in helping rural communities build robust and sustainable economies through strategic investments in infrastructure, partnerships and innovation. Key strategies include:
• Achieving e-Connectivity for Rural America
• Developing the Rural Economy
• Harnessing Technological Innovation
• Supporting a Rural Workforce
• Improving Quality of Life