Financial Support for Community Prosperity

The purpose of ARI’s Rural Impact Fund is to lend capital to diverse small businesses, micro-enterprises, and entrepreneurs in rural communities of the Mississippi Delta region. If your company capacity does not meet the requirements for traditional bank financing, this fund may be a perfect match. Support through the fund is also available for projects that will create or retain high-paying jobs and enhance the quality of life in the region.

Eligibility

Maximum Loan Amount:

$50,000

Minimum Loan Amount:

$10,000

Eligible fund types:

ARI focuses efforts on several key loan types, including providing gap financing, microloans, and other small business loans to finance the purchase of key assets, energy efficiency technology, innovative production development, automation technology, strategic inventory and more. ARI does not lend to start-up businesses at this time.

Key Details

Fund Limits:

Borrowers may receive up to 75% of the eligible project costs from the Rural Impact Fund. Borrowers will be required to provide 25% of the eligible project costs from non-federal sources, such as cash, a separate non-federal lender, grants or other approved sources of funding.

Interest Rates:

Each loan’s interest rate will be individually determined, but will generally be between 2% and 6% above the then currently published Wall Street Journal prime interest rate. Projects in distressed areas may be eligible for a reduced interest rate on a case-by-case basis.

Technical Assistance:

ARI provides technical assistance to help businesses determine solutions for improving productivity, filling workforce gaps, and optimizing production. Learn more about ARI’s Process Modernization Technical Assistance™ program here.

Rural Impact Fund Application

For more information about the Rural Impact Fund, including application procedures, please email us at contact@ruralimpact.org.