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USDA Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) Program – FY 2026 Funding Overview is sponsored by USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service. This program supports economic development and job creation initiatives serving rural communities through competitive grant funding for business and community development projects.
It aims to strengthen rural economies by supporting projects that improve business development capacity, infrastructure, technical assistance, workforce readiness, and long-term economic resilience in rural regions. Funds can be used for training and technical assistance, business counseling, market research, feasibility studies, purchasing or developing land, constructing or renovating buildings, and more.
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Opportunity Listing - Rural Business Development Grant Program Rural Business Development Grant Program Agency: Rural Business-Cooperative Service Assistance Listings: 10. 351 -- Rural Business Development Grant Last Updated: May 18, 2026 View version history on Grants. gov The purpose of the program is to promote economic development and job creation projects through the awarding of grant funds to eligible entities.
Applications will compete in two separate categories, business opportunity grants and business enterprise grants, for use in funding various business and community projects that serve rural areas.
Special district governments City or township governments Federally recognized Native American tribal governments Nonprofits non-higher education with 501(c)(3) Public and state institutions of higher education 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).
This program is only open to a Public Body/Government Entity, Federally Recognized Indian Tribe or a Nonprofit entity serving rural areas. For profit entities, individuals and individual businesses are not eligible to receive grants under this program. Grantor contact information File name Description Last updated RBDG_FY26_NOFO_Grantsgov_Final.
pdf RBDG Notice May 14, 2026 06:34 PM UTC RBDG_Application_Toolkit_-_2026. pdf RBDG Application Toolkit May 14, 2026 06:35 PM UTC FR_2026-01934_-_SECD_Notice. pdf SECD Notice May 14, 2026 06:39 PM UTC SECD_Application_Form1980-88.
pdf SECD Application Form 1980-88 May 15, 2026 01:52 PM UTC SECD_Applicant_Checklist. pdf SECD Applicant Checklist May 18, 2026 04:01 PM UTC Link to additional information Please note the RBDG notice has two closing dates for different program types. The first closing date is June 15, 2026 and ...
is applicable only to SECD applications. The second closing date is for the remainder of the applications and it is June 30, 2026. Please note, SECD applications also require a specific SECD application in addition to the traditional RBDG application.
All complete applications must be submitted in Grants. gov or to a local USDA RD office by 4:30 p. m.
local time on the application due date. Late submissions will not be considered. Funding opportunity number : Cost sharing or matching requirement : Funding instrument type : Opportunity Category Explanation : Category of Funding Activity : Your account requires additional identity verification.
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Public bodies/government entities, Indian Tribes, or nonprofit entities primarily serving rural areas. Small businesses physically located in USDA-defined rural communities (under 50,000 population) seeking equipment, rehabilitation, training, or technical assistance funding. Individuals and for-profit businesses or organizations are not directly eligible to apply, but the program funds intermediaries that support them. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows $10,000 - $500,000+ (Varies, Total Estimated Funding: $27,700,000). Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
USDA Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) Program – FY 2026 Funding Overview is funded by USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
Past winners and funding trends for this program
Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) is sponsored by USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service. The Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) provides loans and grants to Microenterprise Development Organizations (MDOs). These MDOs then use the funding to help rural microenterprises (businesses with 10 or fewer employees) start up and grow, and to provide training and technical assistance to microloan borrowers and micro-entrepreneurs in rural areas. The program aims to address challenges faced by rural small businesses in accessing capital and business training.
Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant Program is sponsored by USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service. This program provides funding to rural projects through local utility organizations. USDA provides zero-interest loans to local utilities, which they then pass through to local businesses for projects that create and retain employment in rural areas.
Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Loans & Grants is sponsored by USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service. This program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing. The program aims to increase American energy independence and lower energy costs for small businesses and agricultural producers. Grants can cover up to 50% of eligible project costs for renewable energy systems (up to $1,000,000) and energy efficiency projects (up to $500,000). Loan guarantees are offered for 60% to 85% of the loan amount, and a combination of grant and loan guarantees can cover up to 75% of eligible project costs.
While applicants chase fixed federal deadlines, USDA Rural Development keeps roughly $4.1 billion moving through programs with no deadline at all — Community Facilities, Water & Waste Disposal, and Business & Industry loans that accept applications year-round. But 2026 brought a quiet shake-up: REAP grants paused, RBDG's competitive window closed. Here is the map of what's open, what's frozen, and how rural organizations should work a rolling pipeline.
Read articleUSDA opened a $27.7M Rural Business Development Grant NOFO on May 18 with two deadlines two weeks apart. The June 15 Strategic Economic and Community Development carve-out and the June 30 main pool fund different applicants under different scoring — and most rural cooperatives apply to the wrong one.
Read articleUSDA's FY2026 Rural Business Development Grant NOFO funds technical assistance and small-business support in rural communities under 50,000 residents — but the two-deadline structure (June 15 for Strategic Economic and Community Development applications, June 30 for everyone else), the enterprise vs. opportunity split, and the pass-through grantee model are what shape competitive proposals.
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