Trump Administration Awards $1.3M to USDA Rural Business Development Grant Recipients in Georgia

Staff Report

Thursday, September 10th, 2020

The Trump Administration today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding 16 grants, totaling $1,384,000 for rural business development and job creation in Georgia.  Funding comes from the Rural Business Development Grant program. 

“This program is vital for workforce development, business development and job creation,” USDA Rural Development State Director Joyce White said. “It can be used by technical colleges to modernize classroom equipment to train a technically skilled workforce, and small towns renovate business centers, start business incubators and expand opportunities with this program. Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, USDA continues to be a strong partner with rural communities, because we know that when rural America thrives, all of America thrives.”

White announced projects today in Ben Hill, Camden, Coffee, Cook, Lincoln, Lumpkin, Meriwether, Seminole, Stephens, Towns and Wilcox counties.

Background:

USDA is funding 16 projects through the Rural Business Development Grant Program, totaling $1,384,000. For additional project details see Table 1: Rural Business Development Grant Recipients Georgia FY2020.

This program provides grant money to assist with economic development planning and/or the financing or expansion of rural businesses. Projects must be in rural areas with a population of 50,000 or less.

Interested parties should contact Ms. Toni Grimes at the Georgia Business Programs Division at (706) 546-2154 for information about this program including the FY2021 application timeframes and eligibility details.

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.

Table 1: Rural Business Development Grant Recipients Georgia FY2020

Description

Grant Amount

State/County

Recipient

This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase equipment for an automotive lab for the automotive technology program at Coastal Pines Technical College Baxley instructional site. 

$128,000.00

GA/Appling

COASTAL PINES TECH COLLEGE 

This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase a dehydrator and freezer to process Georgia-grown fruits and vegetables. This will assist local farmers, businesses and consumers. 

$62,400.00

GA/Bacon

SEVEN RIVERS RESOURCE CONSERVATION & DEV

This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase and equip a mobile training laboratory for the masonry construction technology degree program at the Ben Hill

$99,999.00

GA/Ben Hill

WIREGRASS GEORGIA TECHNICAL COLLEGE

campus for Wiregrass Technical College.  

This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase and equip a mobile training laboratory for the framing construction technology degree program at the Ben Hill

$99,999.00

GA/Ben Hill

WIREGRASS GEORGIA TECHNICAL COLLEGE

campus of Wiregrass Technical College.  

This Rural Development investment will be used to complete a retail market study for Camden county to analyze the county's capacity for growth and enhancement. 

$77,000.00

GA/Camden

CAMDEN CO JOINT DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase electrical construction technology training equipment for the Douglas campus of Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. Funds will be used to purchase and equip a mobile training lab to train at on site construction sites. 

$50,001.00

GA/Coffee

WIREGRASS GEORGIA TECHNICAL COLLEGE

This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase plumbing training equipment at the Douglas campus of Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. Funds will be used to purchase and equip a

$99,999.00

GA/Coffee

WIREGRASS GEORGIA TECHNICAL COLLEGE

mobile training lab for students to be trained at on site construction sites.  

This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase and equip a mobile training lab for residential construction technology training program.

$60,861.00

GA/Coffee

WIREGRASS GEORGIA TECHNICAL COLLEGE

This Rural Development investment will be used to purchase and equip

$99,999.00

GA/Cook

WIREGRASS GEORGIA TECHNICAL COLLEGE

a mobile training laboratory for the framing construction technology degree program at the Cook campus for Wiregrass Technical College. 

This Rural Development investment will be used to finish the interior plumbing, sheetrock, flooring, electrical services, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning of a new agriculture center building for Lincoln county. 

$40,000.00

GA/Lincoln

Lincoln County

This Rural Development investment will be used to renovate the Holly

$99,040.00

GA/Lumpkin

HOLLY THEATRE COMMUNITY CENTER INC 

Theatre Community Center in Dahlonega, Ga. Renovations will include safety and technical improvements and ADA improvements. 

This Rural Development investment will be used for upgrades to the Callaway Mill in Manchester, Ga. The 110-year-old building must be upgraded to meet the ADA. 

$98,955.00

GA/Meriwether

MANCHESTER DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Rural Development funds will be used by Donalsonville Downtown Development Authority to purchase and make minor repairs to the property at 120 E. 2nd Street in Donalsonville, GA. The project will support the development of small and emerging private businesses by renting spaces to Seminole Trading Post and other businesses in need of space to start or expand their businesses. 

$99,999.00

GA/Seminole

DONALSONVILLE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTH

This Rural Development investment will be used to improve Lake Toccoa Park, an economic incubator for the

$99,999.00

GA/Stephens

TOCCOA, CITY OF

community managed by the city of Toccoa. 

This Rural Development investment will be used to stabilize and repair the Paris Pavilion Business Center, which consists of two buildings recently purchased by the city in downtown Hiawassee, Ga. 

$66,750.00

GA/Towns

HIAWASSEE, CITY OF

This Rural Development investment will be used to rehabilitate a section of the Old Schoolhouse in Abbeville, Ga., to provide for rent-able office space and upgrade the electrical and A/C.  

$99,999.00

GA/Wilcox

Abbeville, City Of