Assistance Listing 10.870
Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program
Department of Agriculture · Rural Business Cooperative Service
Assistance Listing 10.870, “Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program,” is a federal program administered by Department of Agriculture. It provides direct loan assistance. GrantsJunction currently tracks 0 open, 0 forecasted and 1 closed opportunities under this listing. The agency reported $9.51M in obligations for fiscal year 2025.
Program objective
Provide rural microentrepreneurs with the skills necessary to establish new rural microenterprises and to provide continuing technical and financial assistance related to the successful operation of rural microenterprises. (1) Make direct loans to Microenterprise Development Organizations (MDO), which may be a non-profit entity, Indian Tribe or public institution of higher education for the purpose of capitalizing microloan revolving funds to provide fixed interest rate business loans of the lesser of $50,000 or 20 percent of the amount loaned to an MDO for startup and growing rural microenterprises. The maximum loan amount an MDO may borrower under this program will not exceed $500,000. (2) Make grants to MDOs to support rural microenterprise development. These grants are known as operational enhancement activities or services grants. These grants will be used to seek training and other enhancement services to strengthen their own organizations. These grants will not exceed 10 percent of available funding, whichever is less in any given year. (3) Any MDO that receives a loan under this program is eligible for a grant to assist microentrepreneurs who have received or are seeking a microloan from an MDO. These grants are known as technical assistance (TA) grants and may be used by an MDO to provide marketing, management, and other technical assistance to microentrepreneurs. TA grants will provide assistance specifically tailored to the needs of one or more microentrepreneurs.
As published in the SAM.gov Assistance Listing.
Current opportunities under 10.870
No open or forecasted opportunities are currently posted under this listing. Programs often post notices on an annual cycle — see recently closed opportunities below for timing.
Eligible applicants (program level)
- For-Profit Organization
- Indian/Native American/Alaska Native Tribal Government (Other than Federally Recognized)
- Nonprofit Organization
- Small Business Person
To be eligible to apply for Microlender status under the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program, an applicant must be a non-profit entity, an Indian tribe, or a public institution of higher education. Applicants must be at least 51 percent controlled by persons who are either (i) citizens of the United States, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or American Samoa; or (ii) legally admitted permanent residents residing in the U.S. The applicant or owner must not have an outstanding judgment, be delinquent on any Federal debt or debarred from receiving Federal assistance.
Program-level eligibility from SAM.gov. Each funding notice sets its own requirements.
Reported obligations by fiscal year
Historical data · not a predictionRange and average of financial assistance (from the listing): Loans have ranged from $131,250 to $500,000, averaging $300,000.
Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 10.870. Hatched bars are agency estimates. These totals do not indicate approval rates.Recently closed under 10.870
| Opportunity | Status | Award range | Closes | ALN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance ProgramRural Business-Cooperative Service | Closed | Up to $130K | Sep 30, 2011 | 10.870 |
Frequently asked questions
What is ALN 10.870?
10.870 is the Assistance Listing Number for “Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program.” Assistance Listing Numbers (formerly CFDA numbers) identify federal assistance programs; individual grant opportunities reference the listing they are funded under.
Who can apply under ALN 10.870?
The SAM.gov listing names these applicant types: For-Profit Organization, Indian/Native American/Alaska Native Tribal Government (Other than Federally Recognized), Nonprofit Organization and Small Business Person. Each funding notice under the program sets its own eligibility, so check the specific opportunity.
How much funding does 10.870 provide?
The agency reported $9,506,974 in obligations for FY2025 in the SAM.gov Assistance Listing. These are program-wide totals reported by the agency, not a prediction of future awards.