RISE Program Application: Eligibility, 20% Match, and Scoring

To apply for a RISE grant, a qualifying rural partnership registers on SAM.gov and Grants.gov, assembles a tabbed application package with a 20 percent match on eligible project costs, and submits everything electronically through Grants.gov by the deadline set in the current Notice of Solicitation of Applications. The USDA Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) program awards between $500,000 and $2,000,000 to partnerships building innovation centers and job accelerator programs in distressed rural areas.¹ For the fiscal year 2026 cycle, USDA set an application deadline of 1 p.m. Eastern Time on April 22, 2026.²

Confirm You Qualify Before You Start

RISE grants go to organizations, not individuals. The program requires a “rural jobs accelerator partnership” formed on or after December 20, 2018, with at least one representative from each of four categories: a state, tribal, or local government or government entity; a land-grant college, university, or other institution of higher education; a rural nonprofit cooperative; and a private-sector participant, which can be a business in the target industry cluster, an economic development organization, a community development financial institution, a philanthropic organization, or a labor organization.³

One partner acts as lead applicant and submits the grant. The lead must be a district organization; an Indian Tribe or tribal political subdivision engaged in economic development, or a consortium of Tribes; a state or local government (including special-purpose economic development units) or a consortium of political subdivisions; an institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions; or a public or private nonprofit organization. For-profit businesses can participate in the partnership but cannot serve as lead applicant.¹

The project must serve a rural area, defined by USDA as any area outside a city or town with more than 50,000 inhabitants and outside the urbanized area adjacent to such a city or town, based on the latest decennial census.³ A funded innovation center may sit in a non-rural area if the assistance it provides benefits residents of a qualifying rural area. If RISE funds purchase or construct the center building itself, the building must be in a rural low-income community.⁴

Register on SAM.gov and Grants.gov

Every organization receiving federal grant funds needs an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM). Registration assigns a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and takes about 45 minutes online, but it typically takes 12 to 15 business days after submission to become active. You will need your Taxpayer Identification Number, bank electronic funds transfer information, and a Marketing Partner Identification Number (MPIN). When the system asks the purpose of registration, select the option for applying for federal assistance opportunities. SAM registration must be renewed annually, and a lapse cuts off access to federal grant portals.⁵

Once SAM is active, create a Grants.gov account for the lead applicant. Complete the required fields, confirm your email, and add an organization applicant profile.⁶ Both registrations must be in place before you submit; USDA will not accept RISE applications through any other channel.¹ Start this well before the deadline.

Line Up the 20 Percent Match Correctly

Applicants must contribute at least 20 percent of the eligible project costs for each activity funded by the grant, with RISE covering up to 80 percent. The most common disqualifying mistake is calculating the match as 20 percent of the grant amount rather than 20 percent of total eligible project costs. Applications that make this error are deemed ineligible.¹

Calculate it this way: multiply the total eligible project cost for each RISE activity by 0.20, then add those figures together. If you propose two activities costing $800,000 and $400,000, the match is ($800,000 × 0.20) + ($400,000 × 0.20) = $240,000. Matching funds must stay available throughout the grant term and apply individually to each activity, not pooled across the project. Get written commitments from each match source; those commitments go into the financial tab of your application.

Assemble the Application Package

The RISE application is a multi-tab electronic package. USDA publishes detailed instructions with each NOSA, and the structure typically looks like this:

Title page and table of contents.
Tab A, concept proposal, limited to 10 pages. Describes the partnership, the geographic region, the target industry cluster, an executive summary, and the project plan with scope of work.
Tab B, standard forms: SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance), SF-424A (Budget), SF-424B (Assurances), and SF-424C (Construction, if applicable). Also a certification that the lead applicant is a legal entity in good standing and a statement of any known relationships between the lead applicant and USDA employees.
Tab C, readiness demonstration: evidence that partners are ready to execute, formal partnership agreements, a marketing plan, and a project timeline.
Tab D, targeted initiatives: how the project addresses specific economic development priorities.
Tab E, job creation potential: workforce development plans, benefits to small and disadvantaged businesses, and participation by higher education or investment organizations.
Tab F, regional data: Census Bureau data on median household income and educational attainment, plus career training capacity, local support, broadband access, and whether the area includes Opportunity Zones.
Tab G, financial information: identification of matching fund sources, written commitments from those sources, current financial statements, and a narrative on financial feasibility and sustainability.

The cost and performance plan must cover no more than four years. Applications without a plan within this timeframe will not be considered.¹

Eligible costs include construction or purchase of the innovation center, equipment and office supplies, utilities and operating expenses, salaries directly tied to the project, reasonable travel at federal rates, and administrative costs capped at 10 percent of the total grant for the full project. All buildings and equipment bought with grant money must be owned and controlled by the lead applicant. Only costs incurred after USDA receives a complete application qualify.⁷ Grant funds cannot be passed through as grants to individuals or other entities, including partnership members, and cannot be used to buy farmland, farm equipment, or anything for agricultural production.⁴

Optional Concept Proposal

USDA accepts optional concept proposals ahead of the full application deadline. These let applicants get early feedback on whether a project aligns with program priorities before compiling the full package. The concept proposal deadline, listed in the current NOSA, typically falls several weeks before the final application due date.

Build in Time for Environmental Review

If your project involves constructing or substantially renovating an innovation center, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) likely applies. NEPA regulations at 40 CFR 1500–1508 establish three tiers: categorical exclusion for routine actions with no significant environmental effect (still screened for extraordinary circumstances); environmental assessment, which produces either a Finding of No Significant Impact or a decision to prepare a full statement; and environmental impact statement, required for major federal actions that significantly affect the environment. USDA decides which level applies.⁸ This review can add weeks or months to a construction timeline, especially on undeveloped land, so account for it in your project plan.

Submit Through Grants.gov

All applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov by the deadline in the current NOSA. Paper applications, emailed applications, and anything submitted outside Grants.gov will not be considered.¹ Submitting a day early is prudent; Grants.gov traffic spikes near deadlines and system issues close to cutoff don’t extend the clock.

How Applications Are Scored

USDA evaluates complete applications against criteria in 7 CFR 4284.1117 and the current NOSA, weighing the strength of the partnership, the economic need of the target region, the quality of the project plan, potential for high-wage job creation, benefits to small and disadvantaged businesses, financial feasibility, and the applicant’s readiness to execute. Highest-scoring applications are selected, subject to available funding.⁹

Weak applications usually fail for avoidable reasons: missing the deadline, ignoring format and length limits, submitting an unrealistic budget, or presenting a scope of work that doesn’t tie clearly to the identified industry cluster. A well-written proposal that lacks signed partnership agreements, committed matching funds, and a realistic timeline will score poorly against competitors that put those in writing.

If Your Application Is Denied

USDA notifies applicants in writing after the review period. A denial does not bar you from the program; RISE awards run through competitive solicitation rounds, and rejected applicants can reapply. Request feedback on why your application scored low. Common weaknesses include insufficient matching fund commitments, vague workforce development plans, partnerships without formal agreements, and budgets that don’t line up with the proposed scope of work.

If you believe USDA made a procedural error, contact the Rural Development state office or the national point of contact listed in the NOSA. For a competitive program like RISE, the realistic path is strengthening the application and resubmitting in the next cycle rather than contesting the scoring.

1
Federal Register. Notice of Solicitation of Applications for the Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grant Program
2
USDA Rural Development. USDA Announces Grants to Boost Rural Business Innovation
3
USDA Rural Development. RD Instruction 4284-L – RISE Grant Program
4
USDA Rural Development. RISE Frequently Asked Questions
5
U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Registering a New Entity in SAM
6
Grants.gov. Register
7
Federal Register. Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grant Program
8
National Preservation Institute. The NEPA Review Process
9
Cornell Law School. 7 CFR Part 4284 – Subpart L