U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development - Oklahoma Online
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Rural Business-Cooperative Service

RURAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY GRANTS
Purpose
The purpose is to promote sustainable economic development in rural communities with exceptional needs. This is accomplished by making grants to pay costs of providing economic planning for rural communities, technical assistance for rural businesses, or training for rural entrepreneurs or economic development officials.

Eligibility
To be eligible for a Rural Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG) applicants must be a public body, nonprofit corporation, Indian tribe, or cooperative with members that are primarily rural residents. You must have significant expertise in the activities you propose to carry out with the grant funds and financial strength to ensure you can accomplish the objectives of the proposed grant. You must be able to show that the funding will result in economic development of a rural area (any area of a State that is not within the boundaries of a city with a population in excess of 10,000 inhabitants.) Your project must include a basis for determining the success or failure of the project and assessing its impact.

Limitations
Grant funds may not be used for:
  • Duplication of current services or to replace or substitute support previously provided.
  • Pay costs of preparation of application.
  • Costs incurred prior to effective date of the grant.
  • Fund political activities.
  • Acquisition of real estate, building construction or development.

Selection Process
Projects eligible for RBOG funding compete based on certain grant selection criteria. Priority points are awarded to those projects that best meet these criteria and are ranked from the highest to the lowest scoring. The criteria includes the sustainability and quality of the economic activity expected; the amount of leveraging of other funds; economic conditions in the service area, and the projects's usefulness as a new best practice. Applications are funded up to the maximum dollars that are available in any given funding cycle.

Availability of Funds
The statutory limit is $1.5 million. The size of grants approved is limited by the amount of program funds available. We expect most grants to be $50,000 or less.

Program Administration
You may request additional information and copies of regulations and forms, as well as file applications, with Brian Wiles, USDA Rural Development, 100 USDA, Suite 108 Stillwater, OK 74074. A complete application must be filed before it will be scored.

It is recommended that you discuss the proposed project and process with the State office before completing the application.