The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development announced that the USDA plans to invest over a million dollars in grants to support projects in rural Oklahoma.
USDA says they will be giving $1,426,960 in support of 10 projects for rural parts of the state. The grants will be done through the Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG), which is a competitive grant designed to support targeted technical assistance, training, and other activities. These targets lead to the development of small, emerging, private businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
"This investment is crucial to our small businesses in rural Oklahoma," Acting State Director for Oklahoma Rural Development, Vickie Edwards said. "Through these grants, our rural businesses will have access to technical assistance, training, business incubators, and equipment. We welcome these funds in Oklahoma."
The projects that the grant will be funding include:
- Cherokee Nation. They will use $137,340 to develop and establish a Cherokee Emerging Artist Leadership Program that will encompass a year-long intensive program to provide artist-entrepreneurs with comprehensive technical assistance.
- Cherokee Nation. $67,321 will be used to provide technical assistance to small business owners who were impacted by COVID-19. These business owners will receive training to help improve and grow their internet based platforms through social media, website development and online customer services platforms to increase internet sales.
- Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. $499,999 will be used to construct and develop a "multi-purpose makerspace type building" which is for the emerging aviation industry and advanced technology initiatives activity of today, a modern version of a business incubator.
- City of Thomas. They will use $175,740 to purchase meat processing and packaging equipment. Thomas will lease this equipment out to South Canadian Meats, which is a new processing business in the town.
- Southwest Intermediary Finance Team. They will be given $91,960 to use to purchase ultrasound equipment and a remote patient monitoring program that they will lease to Thomason Family Medical in Hinton, Okla.
- Harper County Development Authority. They are using $99,900 to purchase real estate and commercial kitchen equipment that they will use to create a kitchen incubator space and a store front for local producers and food businesses in Laverne, Okla.
- City of Fairview. They will be given $95,900 to expand the Fairview Industrial Park. An additional 16 acres of land will be developed for small and emerging businesses.
- City of Comanche. They will use $128,000 from the grant to fund construction of a building that will provide lease spaces to four separate businesses in the town.
- City of Okemah. They will receive $42,500 to develop a placemaking action plan, collaborating with the Okemah Chamber of Commerce and Atlas Community Studios in Okemah, Okla. The project will design strategies for downtown revitalization, tourism, and preservation to strengthen business development opportunities.
- Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association Inc. They will use $88,300 to purchase flour milling equipment, which they will lease out to Chisolm Trail Milling in Enid, Okla.
To learn more about these and other resources for rural areas, contact a USDA Rural Development state office.
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