CARSON CITY, Nev., Jan. 10, 2023 –USDA Rural Development State Director Lucas Ingvoldstad announced USDA is accepting applications to support economic development and create jobs for people in rural Nevada.
“We are pleased to accept applications once again for our RBDG program,” Ingvoldstad said. “Economic development happens at multiple levels of community investment. This program is designed to support projects that act as catalysts for job creation and industry expansion. We encourage interested and eligible applicants to contact us early so we can waste no time in building up the economies of rural Nevada.”
USDA is making funding available under the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) program to support business opportunities or business enterprise projects in rural communities. Eligible entities are rural towns, communities, state agencies, authorities, nonprofits, federally recognized Tribes, public institutions of higher education and non-profit cooperatives. Please note this funding is not provided directly to small businesses.
Business opportunity projects are used to identify and analyze business opportunities that will use local rural materials or human resources. These projects must be consistent with local and area-wide community and economic development strategic plans. Projects must also support other economic development activities in the project area. They may include establishing business support centers or financing job training and leadership development in rural areas. Enterprise projects include the repair or modernization of buildings, technical assistance such as feasibility studies or business plans, or equipment purchases for leasing to small or emerging businesses.
In past funding years, USDA awarded RBDG funding to projects in Nevada that helped advance community and regional projects to benefit economic development.
For example, in 2020 the Tahoe Prosperity Center received $20,000 to support a broadband deployment plan and facilitate collaboration to bring last-mile high-speed internet access in the Tahoe Basin. This project was essential to ensuring the overall project would benefit the region’s rural communities and bring connectivity to the area.
Also in 2020, Nye County Regional Economic Development Authority used $30,000 in RBDG funds to support revolving loans in Nye and Esmeralda counties. These established funds support small rural businesses and serve as important resources for rural entrepreneurship and economic stability.
Nevada communities, including those in Nye and Esmeralda counties, are included in the Rural Partners Network (RPN), an alliance of federal agencies and commissions working directly with rural communities to expand rural prosperity. The Rural Business Development Grant Program directly supports RPN objectives, including job creation and community improvement.
Applications for grants, including all set-aside funds, must be submitted in paper or electronic format to the USDA Rural Development Nevada State Office by 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time on Feb. 28, 2023. For additional information and to receive the FY2023 application toolkit, please contact Krista Minges in the USDA RD Nevada state office at krista.minges@usda.gov or (775) 443-4756.
USDA Rural Development encourages applicants to consider projects that will advance key priorities under the Biden-Harris Administration to help rural America build back better and stronger. Key priorities include creating new and better markets, addressing the impacts of climate change and advancing equity in rural America. For more information, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/priority-points.