Rural economic development grants disaster (redg disaster) - grant

The Department of Agriculture Rural Business Cooperative Services awarded Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation $100,833 under the Rural Economic Development Loans and Grants program (CFDA 10.854) on January 21, 2026, in the disaster-response track. Blue Ridge Electric, a tax-exempt non-profit electric cooperative based in Lenoir, North Carolina, functions as an intermediary utility deploying zero-interest pass-through financing and technical assistance to rural businesses and development projects within its service territory. Eligible activities funded under this award include project feasibility studies, business start-up funding, business incubator services, and technical assistance designed to generate employment and sustain economic growth in underserved rural communities. The award carries a period of performance through January 21, 2028, with place of performance in North Carolina. The Rural Economic Development Loans and Grants program provides funding for rural projects through local utility organizations, with maximum grant amounts of $1.5 million and zero percent interest rates on pass-through capital to ultimate recipients.