Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is announcing that the bipartisan FY 2021 appropriations package includes $5 million in funding for the Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) grant program.
The program was authorized under the 2018 Farm Bill in a provision based off Gillibrand’s Rural Jobs and Investment Act of 2018.
Earlier this year, Senator Gillibrand led Senate colleagues in a letter to appropriators calling for strong funding for the program, to address the challenges faced by rural communities and help them rebuild a thriving economy.
“Rural communities often operate on very thin margins and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these already vast economic challenges,” said Senator Gillibrand.
“The RISE grant program will provide essential federal dollars to help rebuild diminished rural economies with a local, hands-on approach that will create new job opportunities and spur economic development. I’m proud to deliver these long term investments for New York’s rural communities in the recently passed bipartisan spending package,” said Gillibrand.
