Press release from the Community Development Corporation of Northeast Indiana:
Northeast Indiana area CDC received $35,000 grant from USDA
The Community Development Corporation of Northeast Indiana will receive a $35,000 Rural Business Enterprise Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development Program. The grant is designed to provide an incentive for business expansion, job creation and private investment in rural areas of Northeast Indiana. This would include Dekalb, Huntington, Lagrange, Noble, Steuben, Whitley, Wells and rural areas of Allen County.
The CDC is a City of Fort Wayne sponsored 501 (c) 6 not for profit business development organization. Its primary objective is to promote the growth and development of small commercial and industrial businesses in Northeast Indiana through creative business loan programs.
Cheryl Schuster, Executive Director CDC of Northeast Indiana, said, “Our goal is to help serve the growth of Northeast Indiana small businesses, where there are few options available for financing alternatives and grants such as this help us accomplish these goals.”
USDA Rural Development State Director Phil Lehmkuhler said, “With these funds, the CDC will be able to assist numerous small businesses who, in the past, have had very few options for alternatives to traditional bank financing.”
This latest grant is one of several recently awarded in Indiana by USDA Rural Development. “These grants are in keeping with the mission of USDA Rural Development which is to provide equity and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology infrastructure,” said Lehmkuhler. “USDA Rural Development is committed to improving the quality of life in rural Indiana. When rural Indiana makes progress, all of Indiana benefits.”