Rbdg rural business coop rural enterprise grant

Southern Most Illinois Delta (operating as Sidez), a nonprofit community development corporation headquartered in Mounds, Illinois, received a $144,797 Rural Business Development Grant (CFDA 10.351) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Business Cooperative Services, awarded on September 25, 2025, with a completion date of September 25, 2027. The grant funds technical assistance and business development services targeted at small and emerging private businesses in rural southern Illinois communities.

Under this project grant, Sidez delivers comprehensive economic development support to underserved populations in persistently poor and high-unemployment rural areas. The organization provides targeted assistance to eligible small and emerging private businesses employing 50 or fewer new employees with less than $1 million in projected gross revenue, supporting job creation and sustainable economic development initiatives throughout the region. The two-year project period enables Sidez to sustain its impact in addressing critical business development needs within southern Illinois' most economically disadvantaged communities.