Rural America Initiatives

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced several new grant and loan programs to support business growth and job expansion in Rural America.

Vilsack: "$10.9 million is dedicated to 15 rural and economic development loan and grant projects that will provide resources to local utilities that will in turn provide zero interest loans to businesses starting or expanding. $9.1 million from USDA will be used to fund 15 new Intermediary Relending Program projects. This is the ability to establish a revolving loan fund for small business in communities throughout the U.S. $3.2 million is being granted to 46 new rural business development grant projects which will provide technical assistance and training for individuals with small business that have sales of less than $1 million dollars. And $1.2 million will be made available for four Micro-Entrepreneur Assistance Programs projects where we are focusing on companies with less than 10 employees providing technical assistance in the form of micro or small loans."

Vilsack said the White House Rural Council was created five years ago to assistance in better coordinating policy and program delivery across agencies with the goal of making a greater impact in rural communities.

Since that time significant gains have been made across rural America: rural household income climbed 3.4 percent in 2015; overall poverty and food insecurity have fallen dramatically; rural populations have begun to rebound; non-metro areas have added more than 250,000 jobs since 2014; and the number of rural Americans without health insurance is now at an all-time low.