Project Grant Award Summary
San Carlos Apache Telecommunications Utility, Inc. (doing business as Triplet Mountain Communications) received a $300,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business Cooperative Services under the Rural Economic Development Loans and Grants (REDLG) program (CFDA 10.854) on September 19, 2025, with a completion date of September 19, 2027. Under this grant, the awardee serves as an intermediary utility organization to establish and manage a Revolving Loan Fund that provides zero-interest financing to eligible rural businesses within the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation service territory in Arizona.
The grant funds support rural economic development initiatives through feasibility studies, business startup cost assistance, and business incubator projects. As an intermediary, San Carlos Apache Telecommunications Utility receives the federal grant and subsequently distributes zero-interest loans to ultimate rural business recipients, with the utility responsible for repayment to USDA. These activities are designed to promote rural economic development and job creation within the reservation's service area, consistent with the REDLG program's objectives of channeling federal resources through local utility organizations to support rural entrepreneurship and economic growth.