WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make available $290,000 in grant funding for business development projects in Maine’s rural communities through the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) program.  Entities that are eligible to apply for these grants include public bodies, nonprofit corporations, and Native American tribes, who can utilize these funds for the benefit of private, small business enterprises in the communities that they serve. 

“This important investment will help provide communities in Maine with key resources intended for job growth and business expansion, and we encourage everyone eligible in Maine to apply for this grant funding,” Senators Collins and King said in a joint statement.  “Providing rural areas in our state with additional means for pursuing diverse economic opportunities will help spur development, strengthen our local businesses, and grow our economy.”

USDA Rural Development is committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in rural America. The grant award process is competitive, and priorities are established for: leveraging other resources; areas of economic distress, lower populations, higher unemployment, or lower incomes; experience of the applicant; small business start-up or expansion; job creation; and supporting agency initiatives.  All areas of the state are eligible for this program, with the exceptions of Portland and surrounding parts of Falmouth, Westbrook, Scarborough, South Portland and Cape Elizabeth.  More information on rural programs is available on the USDA Rural Development's website at http://www.rd.usda.gov/me.

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