Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA OP 011616
The Rural Cooperative Development Grants (RCDG) program is a discretionary federal grant opportunity administered by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under CFDA 10.771. Its core purpose is to strengthen rural economies by funding nonprofit organizations to establish and operate centers for rural cooperative development (often described as a "Center"). These Centers are meant to provide hands-on technical assistance that helps rural people and businesses start new cooperatives, expand existing cooperatives, or improve how cooperatives and other mutually owned businesses operate. In practical terms, the program is designed to support the kind of on-the-ground coaching and capacity-building that can lead to more durable local businesses, better market access, and job creation in rural communities.
Eligible applicants are limited to nonprofit institutions, which NIFA defines broadly as any organization or institution (including accredited colleges and universities) where no portion of net earnings benefits private shareholders or individuals. Applicants must satisfy the eligibility standards referenced in 7 CFR 4284.520(a), and they become ineligible if any of the disqualifying conditions in 7 CFR 4284.520(b) apply. Beyond organizational eligibility, the project itself must qualify under 7 CFR 4284.522(a). That means every activity supported by the grant must serve rural areas, and the Center's work must be focused on economic development outcomes in those areas, specifically including job creation tied to cooperative development, value-added processing, and rural business development.
The opportunity places several clear guardrails on what can be proposed. First, the "rurality" requirement is strict: project activities must serve individuals, cooperatives and mutually owned businesses, small businesses, or similar entities in rural areas only. Second, the project must be structured around establishing or operating a Center, not just delivering a one-off service or a generic business assistance program. Third, applicants have to stay within the program's maximum request limits (the notice references a Table 2 that sets those caps), and the posted award ceiling for this opportunity is up to $1,000,000. Fourth, matching funds are required, and applicants must document and provide the match in the manner described in the solicitation (Part III, B). If any of these project qualification requirements are not met, the application is not considered for funding.
There are also explicit content-based restrictions noted in the announcement. USDA states it will not accept competitive applications that include activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion advocacy, racial justice, or support for mobile home cooperatives. The notice also includes a federal policy restriction related to "dangerous gain-of-function research" tied to Executive Order 14292, stating USDA will not accept certain submissions after June 20, 2025, that involve that category of research as defined in the order. While that topic is not typically central to cooperative development work, it is still flagged as an exclusion in the solicitation language.
On submission rules, an applicant may submit only one application in response to this solicitation. The notice further indicates USDA will treat applications as effectively duplicative (and therefore problematic) if they are submitted under different entity names but share overlapping leadership or governance elements such as the same executive director, employees, board members, or advisory boards. Applicants that are new to federal grants are pointed to NIFA's "About Grants" resources as a recommended starting point for understanding federal application and award processes.
Key administrative details included in the source data are: Funding Opportunity Number USDA NIFA OP 011616; activity category Agriculture; funding instrument type Grant; expected number of awards around 10; original closing date September 15, 2025; and a posting/creation date of September 4, 2025. Overall, RCDG is best understood as a capacity-building grant for nonprofits to run specialized rural cooperative development centers that deliver technical assistance aimed at launching and strengthening cooperatives and other mutually owned rural enterprises, with the broader goal of improving rural economic conditions through business formation, value-added activity, and job creation.Apply for USDA NIFA OP 011616
- The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Rural Cooperative Development Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.771.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2025-09-04.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-09-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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