The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS or Agency), a Rural Development (RD) agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking applications for its Rural Business Development Grant Program.
Donor Name: Rural Business-Cooperative Service
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/30/2026
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS or Agency), a Rural Development (RD) agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is issuing this notice to invite applications for grants to provide technical assistance for passenger Rural Transportation (RT) systems under the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) program. Grant funds will provide technical assistance for RT systems including designated funds to provide technical assistance to RT systemsoperating within Tribal lands of Federally Recognized Native American Tribes (FRNAT) (collectively, the “Program”). This notice is being issued in order to allow applicants sufficient time to leverage financing, prepare and submit their applications, and give the Agency time to process applications within fiscal year 2026. Based on the 2026 appropriated funding, the Agency has approximately $995,500 for 2026. Successful applications will be selected by the Agency for funding and subsequently awarded to the extent that sufficient funding is available. All applicants are responsible for any expenses incurred in developing their applications.
The purpose of this program is to improve the economic conditions of rural areas by providing technical assistance that will enhance the operation of rural transportation systems.
Priorities
The Agency encourages applicants to consider projects that will advance the following RBCS priorities:
- Domestic manufacturing and industrial capacity;
- Domestic energy production and energy;
- New and expanded markets for American farmers and rural producers; and
- Program integrity, including the prevention and reduction of fraud, waste, and.
Funding Information
The Agency will award a maximum of $650,000 for RT systems and $345,500 for FRNAT RT projects.
Grant Period
October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of 7 CFR 4280.416, Applicant Eligibility. The Agency requires the information provided in to make an eligibility determination that an applicant is a national organization.
- For the funding for Technical Assistance for RT systems, applicants must be qualified national organizations with experience in providing technical assistance and training to rural communities nationwide for the purpose of improving passenger transportation services or facilities. To be considered “national,” RBCS requires a qualified organization to provide evidence that it can operate RT assistance programming nationwide. An entity can qualify if it can work in partnership with other entities to fulfill the national requirement as long as the applicant has ultimate control of the grant administration. For the funding for RT systems to FRNATs, an entity can qualify if it can work in partnership with other entities to support all Federally recognized Tribes, as long as the applicant will have ultimate control of the grant administration. There is no requirement to use the grant funds in a multi-state area. Grants will be made to qualified national organizations for the provision of technical assistance and training to rural communities for the purpose of improving passenger transportation services or facilities.
- For the FRNAT grant, which must benefit FRNATs, at least 75 percent of the benefits of the Project must be received by members of FRNATs.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
