USDA Rural Development administers several federal loan and grant programs for rural businesses, communities, and infrastructure — including the Business & Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program, Community Facilities (CF) direct loans, and Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) — all subject to rural-area eligibility (typically communities under 50,000 population).
USDA Rural Development (rd.usda.gov) is the rural-lending arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, operating under 7 USC 1926 (Community Facilities), 7 USC 1932 (B&I Guaranteed Loans), and related authorities. Its primary small-business program is the Business & Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan Program — a lender-guarantee structure analogous to SBA 7(a) but for rural areas. USDA guarantees up to 80% of a B&I loan for loans under $5M, 70% for $5–$10M, and 60% for over $10M. Maximum loan size is $25M (or $40M in certain manufacturing/rural energy projects). USDA B&I rates are negotiated between lender and borrower (typically benchmarked to WSJ Prime or SOFR + spread). Published program details: rd.usda.gov/programs-services/business-programs/business-industry-loan-guarantees. The Community Facilities (CF) program provides direct loans and grants to essential community services in rural areas (healthcare facilities, schools, fire stations, libraries) — not a small-business product but relevant to rural nonprofits and municipalities. The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) provides grants and guaranteed loans for agricultural producers and rural small businesses adopting renewable energy systems or making energy-efficiency improvements — funded under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Pub. L. 117-169), which injected $2B+ into REAP (rd.usda.gov/programs-services/energy-programs/rural-energy-america-program-renewable-energy-systems-energy-efficiency). B&I eligibility requires: rural area (generally census-designated places under 50,000 population — use the USDA eligibility map at eligibility.rd.usda.gov), for-profit business, personal guarantee of 20%+ owners, DSCR of 1.25+, and a collateral package. B&I is slower than SBA (60–120 days) but can reach larger loan sizes and may cover certain agricultural-adjacent industries that SBA restricts. Not all lenders offer USDA B&I — it requires USDA approval as a B&I lender.
USDA B&I requires rural-area eligibility (community under 50,000 population) while SBA 7(a) has no geographic restriction. B&I can reach $25M+ vs SBA 7(a)'s $5M statutory cap. B&I processing is typically slower (60–120 days vs 30–60 for SBA). Both use a lender-guarantee structure; USDA's guarantee percentage scales down at larger loan sizes. For rural businesses, B&I and SBA 7(a) can sometimes be stacked for large projects.
Rural is defined as areas outside the boundaries of a city or town with a population of 50,000 or more and its adjacent densely settled areas. USDA maintains an official eligibility map at eligibility.rd.usda.gov where you can enter an address to confirm rural status. The definition is USDA-specific — an area that qualifies as 'rural' for USDA purposes may not match common intuitions about 'rural' geography.
The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) provides grants (up to 50% of project cost) and guaranteed loans for agricultural producers and rural small businesses installing renewable energy systems or making energy-efficiency improvements. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 significantly expanded REAP funding. Full eligibility and application details: rd.usda.gov/programs-services/energy-programs/rural-energy-america-program-renewable-energy-systems-energy-efficiency.