Rural Innovation Stronger Economy Grant Program | RD RBS 21 01 RISE

Opportunity Information: Apply for RD RBS 21 01 RISE

The Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grant Program is a competitive U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding opportunity designed to help distressed rural and energy communities build stronger, higher-wage local economies. The program focuses on supporting "jobs accelerator partnerships" that can expand a community's capacity to create well-paying jobs, speed up new business formation, and help rural regions identify, develop, and leverage local assets. In practice, RISE is aimed at collaborative, place-based economic development efforts that connect facilities, programming, and partners into a coordinated system for entrepreneurship and workforce growth.

Funding is provided as a grant (discretionary) under CFDA 10.755. Individual awards range from a minimum of $500,000 to a maximum of $2,000,000 per project, and grant dollars can cover up to 80 percent of eligible project costs, meaning recipients generally need to bring at least 20 percent in matching or other non-federal support. While the listing notes an award ceiling of $10,000,000 and an expectation of about 7 awards, the stated per-grant maximum remains $2,000,000, signaling that multiple projects are funded rather than one large award.

RISE funds can be used for a mix of capital, operational, and programmatic costs tied to an innovation center and associated job accelerator activities in a rural area. Allowable uses include expenses directly related to purchasing or constructing an innovation center located in a rural community. The grant can also support the operation of that innovation center, including equipment purchases, office supplies, and certain administrative costs such as salaries, as long as those costs are directly connected to carrying out the funded project. Beyond the facility itself, the program allows costs for support programs that are delivered at a job accelerator or in direct partnership with one, reinforcing that the grant is not just about real estate or a building, but also about the services, training, and ecosystem supports that help businesses start, scale, and hire.

Additional eligible expenses include reasonable and customary travel directly related to job accelerator activities, with travel reimbursements required to comply with federal cost principles (specifically 2 CFR 200.474). Utilities and other operating expenses for the innovation center and job accelerator programs are also allowable, as are associated program costs needed to run those activities. However, there is a cap on general grantee administrative costs: they cannot exceed 10 percent of the total grant amount over the life of the project, which is meant to keep the bulk of funding focused on direct project delivery rather than overhead.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of applicants that commonly lead or participate in regional economic development efforts. Eligible applicants include local governments (counties, cities/townships), special districts, independent school districts, public and state-controlled colleges and universities, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, other tribal organizations, public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. This wide eligibility fits the program's emphasis on partnerships, since effective job accelerators and innovation hubs often involve a mix of public, nonprofit, education, tribal, and private-sector actors.

Administratively, the opportunity is issued by the USDA under its Utilities Programs (as listed in the source data), with the funding opportunity number RD RBS 21 01 RISE. The original posting date is June 17, 2021, and the original application closing date was August 2, 2021. The funding activity categories associated with the program span agriculture, business and commerce, community development, education, employment and training, energy, environment, food and nutrition, health, natural resources, opportunity zone benefits, regional development, science and technology/R&D, and transportation, reflecting the wide range of sectors that rural innovation and job creation efforts may touch.

Overall, RISE is best understood as a significant, partnership-driven investment tool for rural regions seeking to build or strengthen an innovation center and connect it to job accelerator programming that leads to durable business growth and higher-wage employment, with clear cost-share expectations and defined boundaries on indirect administrative spending.

• The Department of Agriculture, Utilities Programs in the agriculture, business and commerce, community development, education, employment, labor and training, energy, environment, food and nutrition, health, natural resources, opportunity zone benefits, regional development, science and technology and other research and development, transportation sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Rural Innovation Stronger Economy Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.755.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 17, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 02, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 7 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for RD RBS 21 01 RISE

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