Rural Cooperative Development Grants (RCDG)

The purpose of the RCDG program is to enable nonprofit institutions to establish and operate centers for rural cooperative development (Center). The primary objective of the program is to improve the economic condition of rural areas by helping nonprofit organizations who in turn provide technical assistance to start, expand, or improve cooperatives and mutually owned businesses in rural areas.

The goals of a Center funded under this subsection shall be to facilitate the creation of jobs in rural areas through the development of new rural cooperatives, value added processing, and rural businesses.

The purpose of the RCDG program is to enable nonprofit institutions to establish and operate centers for rural cooperative development (Center). The primary objective of the program is to improve the economic condition of rural areas by helping nonprofit organizations who in turn provide technical assistance to start, expand, or improve cooperatives and mutually owned businesses in rural areas.

The goals of a Center funded under this subsection shall be to facilitate the creation of jobs in rural areas through the development of new rural cooperatives, value added processing, and rural businesses.

Read this first: farmers cannot apply. "Applications will only be accepted from nonprofit institutions," which use the award to run a rural cooperative development Center. A farmer or co-op benefits as a free client of a funded Center, not as an applicant.

FY2026 notice (USDA-NIFA-OP-012058, assistance listing 10.771) publishes:

• "Range of Awards $200,000 - $1,000,000"

• "Estimated Total Program Funding $5,000,000"

• "Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: Matching Requirement (See NOFO for Details)"

The match percentage is stated inside the NOFO document itself, not on the summary page, and it could not be retrieved at the time of this check — budget on the assumption that a match IS required and read the NOFO for the exact share before you commit. No award period length is published on the summary page either.

What a funded Center must do with the money: "provide technical assistance to start, expand, or improve cooperatives and mutually owned businesses in rural areas," with the goal of "the creation of jobs in rural areas through the development of new rural cooperatives, value added processing, and rural businesses."

Eligibility detail: a "nonprofit institution" here includes accredited institutions of higher education, and applicants must satisfy 7 CFR 4284.520(a) while avoiding the disqualifiers in 7 CFR 4284.520(b).

FY2026 applications closed July 24, 2026 (posted July 7, 2026). Program contact: Edwin Lewis.

Apply Here

RFA