Pine Bluff-based alt.Consulting has received a $49,500 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a pilot program focused on developing rural business in the state, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Wednesday.
Alt.Consulting is a nonprofit firm that advises small businesses, and its pilot program will focus on retaining and growing businesses in five counties in northeast Arkansas.
That Rural Business Opportunity Grant was among 112 loans and grants announced Wednesday to help stimulate economic development in rural areas. They were awarded recipients in 38 states; Washington, D.C.; and the Marshall Islands.
"These awards illustrate the important impact that economic development assistance can have on small towns and rural communities," Vilsack said in a statement. "Whether the funding is given directly to individuals or businesses, or indirectly through utilities and other intermediaries, the results are the same: new jobs, stronger economies and more vibrant communities."
The loan and grants announced Wednesday totaled more than $20 million, the department said.