Rbdg rural business coop rural enterprise grant

The Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance received a $100,000 Rural Business Development Grant (CFDA 10.351) from Rural Business Cooperative Services, awarded on September 29, 2025, with a completion date of September 29, 2027. This Project Grant supports the organization's efforts to promote sustainable economic development and job creation in rural Michigan communities by providing technical assistance and capital support to small and emerging private businesses that employ 50 or fewer new employees and project less than $1 million in gross revenue.

As an eligible intermediary organization, the Keweenaw Economic Development Alliance will utilize the grant funding to assist targeted business enterprises in the rural Michigan region, with priority consideration given to projects located in communities with low-income populations, those preserving existing jobs, those creating new employment opportunities, and those in areas experiencing elevated unemployment rates. The funding supports the Rural Business Cooperative Services' mission to strengthen rural economies through intermediary-based assistance rather than direct business funding, consistent with program guidelines established under 7 CFR 4284, Subpart B.