Rbdg rural business coop native american enterprise grant

Cherokee Nation received a $500,000 Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG, CFDA 10.351) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Business Cooperative Services, awarded on August 13, 2025, with a completion date of August 13, 2027. As a federally recognized Indian tribe, Cherokee Nation serves as an intermediary grantee to provide business development services and technical assistance to support small and emerging private businesses in rural Oklahoma communities. The grant funds activities designed to promote sustainable economic development, facilitate business growth, and improve employment opportunities in the Oklahoma City area and surrounding rural regions.

Under the RBDG program parameters, Cherokee Nation will deliver services that may include feasibility studies, business counseling, market research, workforce development training, and related technical assistance to qualifying small businesses employing 50 or fewer new employees with less than $1.0 million in projected gross revenue. The two-year project aligns with RBDG program priorities to support job creation and preservation in communities with elevated unemployment rates and low-income populations, leveraging Cherokee Nation's established capacity as a comprehensive federal contractor and grant recipient with extensive experience in community economic development and business support services.