Rbdg rural business coop rural enterprise grant

The Department of Agriculture Rural Business Cooperative Services awarded $199,966 to The Center For An Agricultural Economy LTD on March 19, 2026, under the Rural Business Development Grant program (CFDA 10.351). The Center, a tax-exempt nonprofit based in Hardwick, Vermont, provides technical assistance and cooperative business development services to rural agricultural enterprises and cooperatives across Vermont and the Northeast. Performance runs through March 19, 2028, with work conducted in Vermont. The Rural Business Development Grant program supports sustainable economic development and job creation in rural communities by funding eligible recipients—including private nonprofits, government entities, and Indian tribes—to assist small and emerging private businesses employing 50 or fewer new employees and projecting less than $1 million in gross revenue. The Center's prior Rural Business Development Grant awards totaling approximately $792,434 since 2023 have funded feasibility studies, market research, workforce training, and technical assistance for small agricultural enterprises and cooperatives across Vermont and New England.