Discovery tool, not advice. Every figure is the published rule, not a decision on your case.

Grants

Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG)

Status

Status not published

Applications are submitted to the USDA Rural Development state office; deadlines are set state by state, historically with a late winter or early spring cutoff (commonly 28 February or 31 March).

Check with the funder

Amount

Not published

There is no fixed maximum, but smaller requests are more competitive - enterprise grants have commonly run $10,000-$500,000. Funds pass through a public body, non-profit or tribe to assist small and emerging rural businesses.

Funder

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development

public · national

Deadline: One call a year — Applications are submitted to the USDA Rural Development state office; deadlines are set state by state, historically with a late winter or early spring cutoff (commonly 28 February or 31 March).

Your odds

Not published

This funder does not publish a success rate. We rank it using the rate observed across similar programmes and label it as an estimate rather than implying we know.

Effort

quick

Quick — mostly identity and bank details.

Who can apply

Up to 50 employees
micro enterprises
Sectors: any, agri
Stage: idea stage, pre-seed and seed
Locally registered entity required

The applicant must be a public body, non-profit or tribe; the beneficiary must be a 'small and emerging' rural business with fewer than 50 new employees and under $1 million in gross revenue, located in a rural area (generally under 50,000 population).

How to apply

Contact your USDA Rural Development state office to confirm the current deadline
Partner with an eligible applicant - a rural public body, non-profit corporation, higher education institution or federally recognised tribe
Submit the application to the state office

Apply on the funder's site

Source. https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/business-programs/rural-business-development-grants · not human-checked

Verified on 14 August 2026

Source: www.rd.usda.gov