Rural Development Fund Grants – United States

Land-based industries included:

• Food and Agriculture
• Forestry
• Mining
• Oil and Gas Production
• Tourism

The grant funds are available for projects that address expansion and sustainability of land-based industries; worker training related to land-based industries; and energy, transportation, communications, water, and wastewater infrastructure to benefit rural communities and micropolitan statistical areas.

Funding Areas

Funding will be focused on the following types of projects in rural areas:

• Infrastructure Development
  • Examples of projects could be roadways, bridges, renewable energy, wastewater, rural housing, broadband, etc.
• Rural Capacity Building
  • Examples of projects include museums, local and regional tourism campaigns, technical assistance programs, shared service models, feasibility studies, etc.
• Business Development
  • Examples for projects include business expansion ensuring long-term creation or retention of jobs with a strong local and/or regional impact.
• Talent Development and Training
  • Examples of projects include local and regional workforce development programs, workforce training, rural housing projects, childcare, etc.

Funding Information

The maximum limit on grant fund requests is $100,000. The total allotment for funding is more than $1.8 million.

Eligible Applicants

• Individuals
• Organizations
• Businesses
• Local Units of Government (county, city, township, village, school district; any authority composed of counties, cities, townships, villages and school districts or combination of these entities)
• Federally Recognized Tribes
• Educational Institutions

Criteria

• Rural area is defined as a county with a population of 70,000 or less and Micropolitan statistical area as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget.
• Preference will be given to projects in Marquette County.
• Only one proposal per applicant will be considered. Your organization may be a partner on more than one application.
• Applicant is required to have three support letters.
• Applicants must be located in an eligible county in order to be eligible to apply. Applicants not located in an eligible county will not be considered for funding.
• Do not commit to match funds that you are unable to fulfill.
• In-kind match will be considered as part of the review criteria but will not count towards minimum match requirements.
• This grant is a cost-reimbursement program. Grantees will be responsible for costs until proper reports/invoices/receipts are received and reviewed. Grantees are required to show proof of payment.
• Grantees will be eligible for reimbursement up to three (3) times, at specified dates, during the 18-to 24-month grant cycle, with the final reimbursement provided at the completion of the project.

For more information, visit Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD).