09.12.14

Hoeven Announces More Than $560K in USDA Rural Development Grants to North Dakota

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding more than $560,000 in rural development grants to seven North Dakota organizations. The funds are made available through USDA’s Rural Business Enterprise Grant and Rural Business Opportunity Grant programs which were extended in the 2014 farm bill.

“The new period of growth we’re experiencing across North Dakota also means we have a greater demand for vital services in our rural communities,” said Hoeven. “We have been working hard to support growth in our rural communities, and these USDA funds will help communities work on individualized projects, such as developing worker training programs and childcare centers, that will support the continued health and prosperity of residents.”

The grants are awarded as follows:

• $139,204 to Strom Center at Dickinson State University to conduct a feasibility study on a new innovation lab and provide training to rural entrepreneurs

• $99,970 to Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa to provide training to rural entrepreneurs

• $90,000 to Artspace Projects, Inc. for Native American entrepreneurs in Rolette County

• $85,000 to Rural Economic Area Partnership Investment Fund, Inc. to explore the feasibility of a car ferry to cross Lake Sakakawea

• $60,000 to REAP Investment Fund, Inc. to establish a cooperative for childcare in Rolette and Hettinger

• $50,000 to Bowman County Jobs Development, Inc. to open a retail business in Bowman

• $41,849 to Prairie West Development Foundation for a business in Beach

As a member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture and Appropriations Committees, Hoeven continues working to support rural development programs, which promote infrastructure investment in and help grow North Dakota’s rural communities. The senator also served on the Senate-House Conference Committee that negotiated the final version of the new five-year farm bill which reauthorized and strengthened programs in support of rural communities.