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USDA-Rural Development Announces Grant Funding to Four Rural Alaska Recipients

Name
Larry Yerich, Public Information Coordinator
City
anchorage
Release Date

U.S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development Alaska Business Programs Director Renee Johnson today announced that USDA-RD is providing a total of $417,552 in grant funding to help businesses create jobs and increase economic opportunity in rural communities. Funding is being provided through USDA’s Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) program.

"This funding will ensure continued investments in rural Alaska," Johnson said.  "Too often, rural businesses and the communities they serve lack access to the capital and resources they need to develop and prosper.  These grants will help alleviate that situation."

RBDG is a competitive grant designed to support targeted technical assistance, training and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas that have fewer than 50 employees and less than $1 million in gross revenues.  Congress established the program in the 2014 Farm Bill by combining the Rural Business Enterprise Grant program and the Rural Business Opportunity Grant program.

USDA-RD’s RBDG program is one of several that support rural economic development.  More programs are listed at: Rural Business-Cooperative Service.

Funding of each award announced today is contingent upon the recipient meeting the terms of the grant agreement. The four Alaska recipients are:

Copper River Ahtna Inter-Tribal Resource Conservation District  $287,552

Funds will be used for technical assistance to plan, research and train local Native Alaskan entrepreneurs for a biomass feedstock harvesting project.  Equipment purchased with proceeds of subject grant will be leased to native owned small businesses to harvest biomass.

"This project will help protect our communities from wildfire and will produce affordable fuel, healthy traditional moose meat and jobs," said Karen Linnell, Executive Director, Copper River-Ahtna Inter-Tribal Resource Conservation District.

City of Chevak        $25,000
Funds will be used to do a feasibility study on renovating the communities’ old clinic into a sustainable small hotel business operation in the City of Chevak, Alaska.

Native Village of Napaimute      $50,000
Funds will be used to purchase biomass harvesting equipment to be leased to small Native Alaskan Business to support expansion of firewood business. This project will provide affordable renewable biomass alternatives for heat.

University of Alaska Center for Economic Development   $55,000
Funds will be used to provide technical assistance for a feasibility study to determine the viability of larger scale commercial reindeer herding by Alaska Natives in the Yukon-Koyukuk region of Interior Alaska.

Since 2009, USDA-Rural Development has invested over $1.5 billion in more than 220 rural Alaskan communities.  These investments in housing, community facilities, business, energy, water and sewer, telecom and electric have helped to grow rural Alaska’s economy and enhance the quality of life for its residents.