Rural Business Opportunity Grants
Active
- Assistance listing
- 10.773
- Agency
-
Rural Business Cooperative Services
Washington Office, Department of Agriculture
- Grant awards
- 691 $88,312,815 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- (RBOG) Combined with RBEG 10.769 and RBDG 10.351
- Assistance type
-
- Project Grant
- Eligible applicants
-
- Federally Recognized lndian Tribal Governments
- Local (includes State-designated lndian Tribes, excludes institutions of higher education and hospitals
- Anyone/general public
- Beneficiaries
-
- Rural
- Treasury account
-
- 12-1902-0-1-452
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service Washington Office Rural Business Cooperative Services administers the Rural Business Opportunity Grants program (CFDA 10.773) to promote sustainable economic development in rural communities with exceptional needs, with the most recent grant award issued on September 25, 2024.
The program funds regional and community-based economic development projects through a competitive selection process that prioritizes long-term economic sustainability, improvements in job quality and wages, leveraging of non-federal funding, service to disaster-affected or economically distressed communities, and replicable models for other rural areas. Recent awards have funded business development initiatives through the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) and Delta Regional Authority, as well as grants to Federally-Recognized Native American Tribes for business development. Eligible applicants include public bodies, nonprofit corporations, Federally-Recognized Native American Tribes, and rural cooperatives.
All 691 grants in the program's portfolio are structured as Project Grants. The program has obligated $88.3 million in federal dollars across its 23-year history dating to 2001. Award activity has been sporadic, with 5 grants in 2019, 2 in 2020, 1 in 2018, 2 in 2017, and 1 in 2024. Representative recent awards include $1.5 million to support RCAP Delta Regional Authority business program projects (August 2019), $1.4 million for similar regional authority work (July 2020), and $1.5 million for RCAP Delta Regional Authority rural business projects (July 2019). Individual awards range from under $50 thousand to $3 million.
Funding is limited to projects completable within two years; projects of longer duration may receive one-year funding increments. Grant recipients must maintain project records for three years after award completion. No recent grant opportunities are currently open in the source material. Selection deadlines are announced annually with approvals issued by September 30 of each fiscal year.
Objective and description
- Objective
To promote sustainable economic development in rural communities with exceptional needs.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
Grants may be made to public bodies, nonprofit corporations, Federally-Recognized Native American Tribes, and cooperatives with members that are primarily rural residents and that conduct activities for the mutual benefit of the members.
- Beneficiary eligibility
Rural communities and businesses in rural areas.
- Credentials and documentation
Evidence of legal capacity. Evidence of financial strength and expertise in activities such as proposed in the application, sufficient to ensure accomplishment of the activities and objectives described in the application.
- Uses of assistance
Grant funds may be used to assist in the economic development of rural areas by providing technical assistance, training, and planning for business and economic development.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Funding for complete projects is limited to projects that can be completed within 2 years. Projects of longer duration may only be funded for 1 year at a time.
How to apply
- Application procedure
To be considered, all applicants shall submit the required details, forms, and documentation in accordance with the program's regulations, agency procedures, and the annual funding opportunity announcement application submission requirements
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Grant selection criteria include the extent to which economic development resulting from the proposed project will be sustainable over the long term; the extent to which the project should lead to improvements in the quality of economic activity within the community, such as higher wages, improved benefits, greater career potential, and the use of higher level skills; the amount of funds from other sources; service to communities that are experiencing trauma due to a major natural disaster or the closing or major downsizing of a military facility or other major employer; service to communities that have remained consistently impoverished over the long term or have experienced long term population decline or job deterioration; and the extent of the project's usefulness as a best practice that may serve as a model for other communities.
- Award procedure
All applications will be reviewed in accordance with the program's regulations agency procedures, and the annual funding opportunity announcement application requirements.
- Time to approval or disapproval
Deadlines are announced via the program's annual funding opportunity announcement. Approvals are no later than Sep 30 of each fiscal year
- Appeals
Adverse decision may be appealed in accordance with procedures set out at 7 CFR 11.
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 691 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delta Regional Authority | $30,671,118 | 35% |
| 2 | Appalachian Regional Commission | $3,021,027 | 3% |
| 3 | Northern Community Investment Corporation | $697,020 | 1% |
| 4 | Northern Maine Development Commission, Inc. | $498,104 | 1% |
| 5 | Northern Forest Center Inc. | $425,000 | <1% |
| 6 | Murray State College | $413,728 | <1% |
| 7 | Northwoods Niijii Enterprise Community, Inc. | $399,669 | <1% |
| 8 | Four Directions Development Corp | $344,375 | <1% |
| 9 | Eastern Band Of Cherokee Indians | $300,000 | <1% |
9 of 298 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2024 | -$51,866 |
| FY2020 | $3,000,000 |
| FY2019 | $7,208,936 |
| FY2018 | $1,500,000 |
| FY2017 | $2,965,047 |
| FY2016 | $3,000,000 |
| FY2015 | $3,000,000 |
| FY2014 | $4,630,433 |
| FY2013 | $4,805,715 |
| FY2012 | $4,612,989 |
| FY2011 | $5,188,338 |
| FY2010 | $5,551,296 |
| FY2009 | $5,627,905 |
| FY2008 | $5,812,438 |
| FY2007 | $6,825,684 |
| FY2006 | $5,120,469 |
| FY2005 | $3,075,000 |
| FY2004 | $3,307,869 |
| FY2003 | $3,108,904 |
| FY2002 | $5,188,901 |
| FY2001 | $9,434,758 |
Show all 21
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 10.773?
Assistance Listing 10.773 is Rural Business Opportunity Grants, a federal grant program run by Rural Business Cooperative Services (Washington Office).
What is the CFDA number for Rural Business Opportunity Grants?
Its CFDA number is 10.773: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 10.773 awarded?
691 grant awards under 10.773 have obligated $88,312,815 in federal funds to 298 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 10.773?
The recipients obligated the most under Rural Business Opportunity Grants are Delta Regional Authority ($30,671,118), Appalachian Regional Commission ($3,021,027) and Northern Community Investment Corporation ($697,020).
On GovTribe
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