Last week the USDA announced new awards under the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP).  A component of the agency’s Rural Development work since passage of the 2008 Farm Bill, RMAP awards loans and grants to Microenterprise Development Organizations (MDOs).  These MDOs then use their RMAP funds to provide training and technical assistance to and to provide microloans to new and existing entrepreneurs with very small businesses in rural communities.

Eight organizations in seven states were awarded a total of $2.65 million in loans and nearly $580,000 in grants.  The awardees are as follows:

Idaho

• Region IV Development Association, Inc. — $300,000 loan; $75,000 grant

Maine

• Washington Hancock Community Agency — $150,000 loan; $37,500 grant

Minnesota

• Southwest Initiative Foundation — $500,000 loan; $105,000 grant

Missouri

• Mo-Kan Development, Inc. — $400,000 loan; $100,000 grant

Ohio

• Community Action Committee of Pike County — $250,000 loan; $62,500 grant

Pennsylvania

• The Progress Fund — $500,000 loan; $100,000 grant
• The Pottsville Area Development Corporation — $200,000 loan; $12,000 grant

South Dakota

• Four Bands Community Fund, Inc. — $350,000 loan; $85,647 grant

These eight new awards are in addition to the 75 announced last October.  The full list of those 75 awardees can be seen here.

There are now 83 RMAP projects in 38 different states.  The dozen states without MDOs with RMAP funding as of yet are AL, AK, CT, NH, LA, DE, IN, NM, ND, RI, UT, and VT.  States with four or more projects include CA, IL, ME, PA,SD, VA, and WI.

USDA’s website on RMAP can be viewed here.