1. (1) After GOEO approval of a Rural Communities Opportunity Grant:

   1. (a) no more than 90% of grant funds will be disbursed to a community after:

      1. (i) application approval;
      2. (ii) a contract between the community and the state is entered; and
      3. (iii) the community invoices the office for the funds; and
   2. (b) the remaining funds may be disbursed to a community upon submission of a final report including satisfactory evidence of benchmark achievements toward completion of economic development projects and activities recorded in the grant contract.
2. (2) The maximum amount of funding a rural community or an association of governments can receive through this grant is $600,000.

3. (3) Each grant recipient shall submit an annual report containing:

   1. (a) a description of the project, or projects, for which the grant funding is being used or encumbered;
   2. (b) the effectiveness of the award in improving economic development in the community;
   3. (c) how much matching money is being utilized by the community;

   4. (d) a letter from the CEO board or equivalent attesting that:

      1. (i) it is participating in advising the rural community or an association of governments ' governing body throughout the year;
      2. (ii) it approves of the content submitted in the annual report;
      3. (iii) it helped prepare the annual report; and
      4. (iv) minutes from each meeting of the CEO board where the Rural Communities Opportunity Grant was discussed; and
   5. (e) any other information requested by the office.

4. (4) Grant recipients shall submit a final report and reimbursement request by the contract termination date including:

   1. (a) a description of the completed project;
   2. (b) a report on whether the recipient met the goals and benchmarks detailed in the contract;

   3. (c) a letter from the CEO board or equivalent attesting that:

      1. (i) it participated in advising the county's governing body throughout the year;
      2. (ii) it approves of the content submitted in the annual report; and
      3. (iii) it helped prepare the annual report;
   4. (d) an invoice for the outstanding amount of awarded funding; and
   5. (e) any other information requested by the office.

KEY: Rural Community Opportunity Grant, RCOG, economic development

Date of Last Change: December 3, 2025

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law: 63N-4-802