[1st-mile-nm] USDA: Grant Funding Available for Rural Business Development

[Richard Lowenberg]

According to NM USDA Director Terry Brunner, the current call for 
proposals
may be applicable to particular NM Broadband initiatives, if related to 
economic
development, small business development or Coops.   Terry subscribes to 
this list,
and may want to add more information.

There is a NM webinar scheduled for 1:30 pm tomorrow, March 6.
To RSVP, contact Clinton A. Kaasa, State Loan Specialist by telephone 
at
505-761-4957 or by e-mail at Clinton.Kaasa at nm.usda.gov.

RL


Grant Funding Available for Rural Business Development
April 12, 2013 Deadline set for applications

(February 12, 2013 - Albuquerque, NM) USDA Rural Development State 
Director Terry
Brunner announced today his agency is now accepting applications for 
the Rural Business
Enterprise Grant (RBEG) program.

In making the announcement Brunner said, “The RBEG program is one of 
the most flexible
economic development opportunities offered by USDA Rural Development to 
create jobs,
something the Obama administration has worked hard to do.” He added, 
“In the past the RBEG
has been used to fund business incubators, feasibility studies, 
business plans, and it has financed
technical assistance programs for business development.”

The RBEG funding is made available to public bodies, nonprofit 
organizations, public and
private nonprofit institutions of higher education, and Indian tribes 
to facilitate and finance the
development of small and emerging private business enterprises in rural 
communities and cities
up to 50,000 in population.

The grant funds can be used to finance and facilitate the development 
of small, private,
business enterprises which is any private business that employs 50 or 
fewer new employees and
has less than $1 million in projected gross revenues. The RBEG funds 
can also be used to pay
for technical assistance for such things as feasibility studies, 
business plans, business
development training, or workshops. However, by regulation this 
financial assistance cannot be
granted directly to a private business. The RBEG financing is granted 
to a non-profit or a
governmental agency that sets up a revolving loan fund and then makes a 
loan to a private
business.

Applications are selected for funding based on an established 
competitive scoring process.
Priority will be given to application requests of $50,000 or less. 
Additionally, applications will
receive discretionary points for projects that support the agency and 
department goals in the
following categories:
 Renewable energy
 Local food systems and value-added agriculture
 Support of cooperatives
 Business programs in persistent poverty counties (Catron, Cibola, 
Dona Ana, Guadalupe,
Luna, McKinley, Mora, Rio Arriba, Roosevelt, San Juan, San Miguel, 
Socorro, or Taos)
 Underserved populations: minority and women-owned businesses

Last fiscal year, USDA Rural Development provided $283,000 to assist 
six New Mexico
recipients which included the Southwest Regional Housing and Community 
Development
Corporation to establish a revolving loan fund to assist micro 
businesses in four rural New
Mexico counties. RBEG funding was also provided to the Ramah Navajo 
School Board, Inc. to
complete a feasibility study for the proposed Cedar Bluff Travel Center 
and Business Complex.

USDA Rural Development is currently accepting applications for the 
Rural Business
Enterprise Grants (RBEG) program until close of business, Friday, April 
12, 2013.

Information on the RBEG program can be obtained from the Rural 
Development State
Office in Albuquerque at 505-761-4953 or at: 
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_rbeg.html
USDA Rural Development’s mission is to increase economic opportunity 
and improve the
quality of life for rural residents. Rural Development fosters growth 
in homeownership, finances
business development, and supports the creation of critical community 
and technology
infrastructure. Further information on rural programs is available at 
any local USDA Rural
Development office or by visiting USDA Rural Development’s web site at
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov

The USDA has other funding programs and deadlines during the year, 
including
the Community Connect program.   Stay tuned.


--------------------------------
Richard Lowenberg, Executive Dir.
1st-Mile Institute, 505-603-5200
Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504
www.1st-mile.com  rl at 1st-mile.com
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