On June 20, 2016, the Rural Maryland Council is accepting applications for its Fiscal Year 2017 Rural Maryland Prosperity and Investment Fund (RMPIF) grant program for entrepreneurship, infrastructure and health services. Applications and instructions for RMPIF are available on the Rural Maryland Council’s website at www.rural.maryland.gov. The deadline for applications is August 15, 2016; grant awards will be announced to the public on October 14, 2016. Questions regarding eligibility and criteria may be directed to: Charlotte Davis, RMC Executive Director, at (410) 841-5774.
The objective of RMPIF is to help raise the overall standard of living in rural areas to a level that meets or exceeds statewide benchmark averages by 2030, while preserving the best aspects of a cultural heritage and rural way of life. Resources provided to the Fund are designed to facilitate significant targeted investments in important economic and community development programs and promote regional and intergovernmental cooperation. “These investments will enable local and regional public and nonprofit organizations to leverage additional non-state financial and human resources to facilitate the realization of sustainable rural development objectives,” said RMC Chair, Doris Mason. “Grant funds will also be used to encourage collaboration amongst rural organizations and local governments and encourage the creation of new partnerships.”
For Fiscal Year 2017, proposals will be accepted for the following areas: rural regional planning and development councils, rural entrepreneurship development, regional infrastructure projects, and rural health care organizations. Eligible applicants must be a local government, institute of higher education, regional council, or be a 501(c)(3) IRS tax designation or similar, and serve a regional or statewide rural constituency. Projects must be regional, covering two or more counties, or intergovernmental (including municipalities or local governments). Projects may include non-rural counties; however, the majority of service must be provided in rural areas. Community Colleges, Career Technology Centers, Regional Councils and Libraries are eligible applicants.
The Rural Maryland Council (RMC) operates under the direction of a 40-member executive board in a nonpartisan and nondiscriminatory manner. It serves as the state’s federally designated rural development council and functions as a voice for rural Maryland, advocating for and helping rural communities and businesses across the state to flourish and to gain equity to its suburban and urban counterparts. The vision for RMC is the ultimate realization that residents in rural communities are achieving success in education and employment, have access to affordable, quality health care and other vital public services, and live in an environment where natural and cultural resources are being sustained for future generations.
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