Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- RD-RBCS-26-RMAP
- Agency
-
Rural Business Cooperative Services
Washington Office, Department of Agriculture
- Applications due
- Award size
- Up to $100,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Category
-
- Business and Commerce
- Eligible applicants
-
- Other
- Points of contact
-
- Shamika Johnson shamika.johnson@usda.gov (202) 720-1400
- Full announcement
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP), administered by the USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service, provides loans and grants to Microenterprise Development Organizations (MDOs) that deliver training, technical assistance, and microloans to rural entrepreneurs. Eligible applicants include domestic non-profit organizations, Indian Tribes, and public institutions of higher education that must be at least 51 percent controlled by U.S. citizens or legally admitted permanent residents and must not have outstanding federal judgments or delinquencies. The program evaluates applications on specified scoring criteria, with eligible applicants required to achieve a minimum score of 60 points out of 100 to be considered for funding. Applications are accepted on a quarterly basis with deadlines of September 30, 2025 (First Quarter), December 31, 2025 (Second Quarter), March 31, 2026 (Third Quarter), and June 30, 2026 (Fourth Quarter), with an additional deadline of August 1, 2026 for subsequent annual microlender technical assistance grants. Unfunded applications meeting the qualifying score threshold will be retained for consideration in up to three subsequent quarterly reviews.
Approximately $21 million in total funding is available for FY 2026, with individual loan awards up to a maximum of $500,000 and technical assistance grants capped at $100,000 or 25 percent of outstanding microloan balances, whichever is less. MDOs must provide a 15 percent match of total grant amounts through matching funds, indirect costs, or in-kind goods or services, and must establish or recapitalize revolving loan programs to provide fixed-rate microloans of $50,000 or less to rural microentrepreneurs. Performance periods typically extend two years, with grant funds provided on a reimbursement basis and MDOs required to make one or more microloans within 30 days of any disbursement received.
Synopsis
Provides loans and grants to Microenterprise Development Organizations (MDOs) to provide training and technical assistance to microloan borrowers and micro entrepreneurs.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| FY26_RMAP_Grants.gov_2.4.26_final.pdf |
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