Rural Development Initiatives

Congratulations to the 25 small business owners who were awarded $30,000 Enhancement Grants through the Backing Small Businesses Grant Program from Main Street America and American Express. Recipients include Wildflour Restaurant in North Bend, OR.

In partnership with American Express, we are so excited to congratulate 25 small business owners across the country that have been awarded $30,000 Enhancement Grants through the Backing Small Businesses grant program!

The Backing Small Businesses grant program, supported by American Express, invests in locally significant small businesses with community reach. Through this program, 400 recipients were selected in 2025 to each receive a $10,000 grant to fund projects that promote long-term growth and increase local impact. Additionally, in May 2025, a special round of the program provided 100 grants of $10,000 each to meet the urgent and growing needs of small businesses recovering from natural disasters. Recipients from both rounds were eligible to apply for the Enhancement Grants.

Since launching in 2021, the program has provided over $15.52 million in grants to 1,755 small business owners across the country.

Meet the recipients here: https://bit.ly/4gJZ6Wt

Washington rural women leaders, this one's for you!

The Rural Civic Engagement Project is coming to Washington this August! This program is a cohort-based training geared towards rural women leaders who are interested in connecting with other women leaders from across their state, want to learn skills to gain support and increase resources for their community, and have the desire to build their confidence in filling leadership roles. Are you from rural Washington and think you'd be a good fit? Join us next Wednesday, June 17 at 1pm to learn more and apply.

RCEP Info Session for Washington Women Leaders
June 17, 2026
1 - 2pm
Save your spot at https://bit.ly/3SyJZF5