Rural economic development grant - electric farm bill

Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation received a $300,000 project grant from the Rural Business Cooperative Services (an alternate name for USDA Rural Development) under the Rural Economic Development Loans and Grants program (CFDA 10.854), awarded on July 15, 2025, with a completion date of July 15, 2027. As a nonprofit electric cooperative serving rural North Carolina, Blue Ridge Electric functions as an intermediary to deploy these zero-interest funds to eligible rural economic development projects within its service territory.

The funding supports Blue Ridge Electric's capacity to deliver rural economic development services including project feasibility studies, business startup assistance, business incubator services, and technical support to stimulate job creation and sustainable economic growth in underserved rural communities. These grant resources enable the cooperative to identify and support promising rural business ventures and development initiatives that demonstrate employment generation potential, consistent with the program's design to leverage local utility organizations as effective pass-through mechanisms for federal capital reaching rural entrepreneurs and development projects.