StartUpNV Received $231,949 in Funding From USDA to Support Rural and Tribal Entrepreneurs
LAS VEGAS, Nev., July 29, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Nevada State Director Lucas Ingvoldstad today celebrated Nevada-based incubator and accelerator StartUpNV’s inaugural Southern Nevadan Tribal Entrepreneurial Development (TED) Program, a five-week incubator designed to support first-time entrepreneurs in Nevada’s Tribal Communities. StartUpNV was awarded $231,949 in funding through USDA Rural Development’s Rural Business Development Grants to hold the TED program as well as the Rural Roadshow, nine individual workshops to support rural entrepreneurs located in remote or disadvantaged areas of Nevada. TED workshops are held at the Nuwu Arts Center on Monday and Wednesday evenings.
“The Biden-Harris Administration understands that in order to position rural economies for success means ensuring rural entrepreneurs have all the resources they need to succeed,” said Ingvoldstad. “We’re proud of StartUpNV’s work in rural and Tribal communities across Nevada, meeting communities where they are and understanding their needs. USDA will continue to invest in the potential of Nevada’s innovators and changemakers.”
Please click on the following links to register for StartUpNV’s upcoming events: Tribal Entrepreneurial Development Program and Rural Roadshow.
Tribal and rural entrepreneurs can often struggle with access to entrepreneurship resources and support due to vast and significant geographic distances in Nevada that isolate tribal and rural communities. The Rural Roadshow brings potential entrepreneurs and small businesses in rural locations together and provides access to entrepreneurial educational resources while the TED Program connects rural and tribal founders through a cohort style incubator over ten weeks. The program will support forty entrepreneurs in rural communities through the Rural Roadshow and at least twenty entrepreneurs within the Tribal Entrepreneurial Development Program.
Rural Business Development Grants are 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. Eligible applicants are rural public entities, including towns, state agencies, authorities, nonprofits, institutions of higher education, tribes, and cooperatives. Rural Business Development Grant money must be used for projects that benefit rural areas or towns outside the urbanized periphery of any city with a population of 50,000 or more. Check eligible areas. There is no maximum grant amount; however, smaller requests are given higher priority. Please visit the following link to learn more about Rural Business Development Grants.
To learn more about investment resources for rural Nevada, visit www.rd.usda.gov/nv. To learn more about REAP and eligibility requirements in Nevada, visit Frequently Asked Questions.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.