Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) Awarded to ECIRPD
USDA Rural Development announced on June 19, 2018 that they awarded a Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG) in the amount of $68,000.00 to the East Central Indiana Regional Planning District. These funds will be utilized by the East Central Indiana Business Enterprise, Services, and Training (BEST) program that will provide needed training and technical assistance, including project planning, business counseling/training, market research, feasibility studies, professional/technical reports, or product/service improvements to rural businesses located in rural areas throughout the region. RBDG funds will be used to acquire additional staff at ECI that will provide the needed training and technical assistance services that businesses in the region are lacking. While ECI leadership has the knowledge and expertise needed, additional capacity is required to meet the demand from local businesses.
The project will be centrally located at ECI’s headquarters in Muncie, but will leverage ECI’s relationships with its rural partner municipalities to offer training, workshops, and other events throughout the identified rural areas in the region.
For more information, please contact Bill Walters, Executive Director of East Central Indiana Regional Planning District.
765.713.7000