Equity Fund - Rural Site Development Initiative

Tab Group

Basic Info

Contact

Bob Kosek
bkosek@georgia.org

In order to remain competitive when speed to market is key, development-ready sites across Georgia must be continuously identified, assessed, and certified. The purpose of this program is to assist local communities with developing community-submitted sites critical to economic development across Georgia through the OneGeorgia Authority. Submitted sites will be vetted semi-annually by the Departments of Economic Development and Community Affairs to receive approval for funding. Approved sites will have various levels of funding matched by the communities based on the criteria listed below.

Site and Program Requirements

  • Applicant must be a development authority and site must be at least 50 contiguous acres.
  • One application per development authority per year; one application per site.
  • Site must be publicly owned at the time of application for a Site Improvement Grant or Survey and Due Diligence Grant. If the site is not publicly owned, the development authority must secure an option contract for the site for at least three (3) years following grant award.
  • Sites receiving Site Improvement Grant must commit to GRAD certification within one (1) year.
  • Sites receiving Survey and Due Diligence Grant must commit to GRAD certification within three (3) years

Community Match for Funds

  • Generally, eligible counties should provide at least a 10% match of grant amount.
  • Conditionally eligible counties must match a minimum of 25% of grant amount.

See OneGeorgia Authority Official Map of Eligible Counties

Grant Amounts and GRAD Partnership

Site Improvement Grant
Survey and Due Diligence Grant 
(GRAD Scholarship)
Award Amount: Up to $2 Million
  • Existing GRAD sites are encouraged to apply for a Site Improvement Grant.
  • Sites that are not GRAD, but have all due diligence completed, may also be considered for this grant. These sites must pursue GRAD certification within 1 year.
Award Amount: Up to $250,000
  • This grant offers a pathway to GRAD certification for communities that may have monetary constraints. Therefore, sites that receive this grant will be required to pursue GRAD certification within 3 years.
Examples of Eligible Costs:
  • land acquisition (required, if site is privately owned) and expansion property
  • grading, clearing, and, grubbing
  • infrastructure development
  • access roadways
  • acceleration/deceleration turn lanes
  • water/sewer line construction or relocation
  • engineering or other fees required for site development plans
Examples of Eligible Costs:
  • due diligence studies
  • utility surveys
  • boundary surveys
  • easements 
  • cost for GRAD certification requirements

Get Started


OneGeorgia Authority Official Map of Eligible Counties
Newsroom

Announcements

  • Equity Program – Rural Site Development Initiative NOFA

    NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY

    OneGeorgia Authority

    Equity Program – Rural Site Development Initiative

    September 13, 2024

    OneGeorgia Authority (hereinafter, the “OneGeorgia or the “Authority”) releases this Notice of Funding Availability (the “NOFA”) for the Rural Site Development Initiative. Funding will be made available to assist local communities with support to develop sites critical to economic development across Georgia.

    The purpose of this NOFA is to outline available financial assistance, in the form of grants, for activities that result in developing industrial sites that meet the needs of companies that are locating to rural Georgia. In order to remain competitive in economic development, sites across Georgia must be continuously identified, assessed, and developed. This initiative will provide a small amount of state funding, matched at various levels depending on the community’s OneGeorgia eligibility determination, for a minimum of fifty (50) contiguous acre sites. Projects will be awarded funds on a competitive basis to sites that demonstrate an ability to address:

    • Lack of available industrial sites for recruitment and retention of employment opportunities;
    • The difficulty of satisfying project sites in communities or regions with high unemployment; or
    • A community or regional commitment to expand and improve existing sites.

    This initiative is intended to provide a flexible funding source to support any eligible activity that results in rural site development. Examples of such activities include, but are not limited to, site studies, grading of land, and essential community infrastructure specifically needed to support site development.

    Grantees will be expected to demonstrate transformational change in rural site development. OneGeorgia funds are offered to support site development; therefore, resulting in the increase of available development ready sites in rural Georgia.

    A copy of this NOFA, the Application package, and other related materials will be available on the Department of Community Affairs’ website at the link listed below:

    https://www.dca.ga.gov/community-economic-development/funding-programs/onegeorgia-authority

    A. FUNDS AVAILABLE

    The Amended Fiscal Year 2024 Budget includes approximately twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) for this initiative. This funding will be awarded at regular semi-annual intervals through an ongoing, competitive grant cycle, subject to funding availability. The amount of funds available may be increased or decreased at the Authority’s discretion.

    B. GRANT FUNDING LIMITATIONS

    Studies for due diligence on site development are limited to no more than two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000). Site Improvement grants are limited to no more than two million dollars ($2,000,000) per application and development. The Authority reserves the right to fund, in whole or in part, any, all, or none of the applications submitted in response to this NOFA. Applications for less than seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000) will not be accepted; however, the Authority reserves the ability to waive minimum and maximum funding limits at its discretion. The Authority will only approve one investment per site location per year.

    C. MATCHING FUNDS REQUIREMENT

    Applications are expected to leverage other sources of funding – private debt or equity, philanthropic support, or other public funds. Applicants located in an OneGeorgia “Eligible” community, should generally contribute a ten percent (10%) match to the amount of grant funds requested. Applicants located in an OneGeorgia “Conditionally Eligible” community, should contribute at a minimum twenty five percent (25%) match to the amount of grant funds requested. Communities located in an OneGeorgia “Non-eligible” county are not allowed to apply or receive grant funds. Local public and private investment will factor into an application’s overall competitiveness.

    D. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

    Units of general-purpose local government (e.g., city, county, consolidated government), as well as local, regional, and state authorities, are eligible to apply. Prospective applicants should consult the Authority with questions about eligibility.

    Additional eligibility requirements include the following:

    • Applicants should notify Bob Kosek, Division Director of Global Commerce at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, to hold an initial meeting.
    • Applicants may only submit applications for activities within OneGeorgia eligible and conditionally eligible counties. For purposes of this initiative, both eligible and conditionally eligible counties are considered eligible.
    • Local government/authority applicants must be in compliance with the audit report and grant certification form submission requirements contained in O.C.G.A. 36-81-7 and 86-81-8.1.
    • Local government and authority applicants must be current and in compliance with all reporting, audit, and survey requirements, as required by statute.
    • Prior recipients of OneGeorgia funding must resolve any outstanding audit and/or compliance monitoring findings or deficiencies prior to submitting an application. Sanctions associated with any other OneGeorgia grant will also apply to this initiative.

    E. ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES

    This initiative is intended to provide flexible funding to support the development of rural industrial sites. Any OneGeorgia eligible activity will be considered for funding, subject to the following overarching objectives.

    1. Any infrastructure/construction costs that include, but are not limited to, the following activities are eligible to receive funding through this initiative: grading, clearing, grubbing, infrastructure development, road improvements, accel/decel lanes, engineering, purchase of adjacent or expansion property, easements, and due diligence studies.
    2. Sites must be publicly owned at the time of the application submission. Site must be a minimum of fifty (50) contiguous acres. If the site is not publicly owned, it must be under option by a development authority for three (3) years prior to grant being awarded.
    3. The site applying for Site Improvement Grants must commit to GRAD certification process within one year.
    4. Sale or lease activities not compliant with the parameters set forth under this NOFA are subject to penalties that will be addressed in the award documentation.
    5. Developments must comply with state environmental and historic preservation requirements.

    F. APPLICATION PROCEDURES

    • Applicants should notify Bob Kosek, Division Director of Global Commerce at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, to hold an initial meeting.
    • Each completed application will first be reviewed to reconfirm eligibility and determine completeness. Then, applications will be thoroughly vetted and competitively scored.
    • The Authority will consider recommended applications and make a final determination on any and all awards.

    G. APPLICATION DEADLINES AND AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS

    For funding requests, applications must be submitted online. The link to access the application will be provided by program staff after staff determines eligibility. (Hard copy applications will not be accepted.)

    Fiscal Year 2025 submission deadlines are as follows:

    • October 11, 2024, for December/January award announcement
    • March 28,  2025, for June/July award announcement

    Successful applicants will receive written notice of award, including all necessary grant or loan documents, requirements, timelines, and other details.

    H. TIMEFRAME FOR COMPLETION

    OneGeorgia funds must be expended within the timeframe specified in the grant/loan award documentation, which is generally two years from the date of the award. For purposes of the Authority, “completion” is defined as 1) all activities for which funds were received are complete, 2) all awarded funding has been expended, and 3) all award close-out procedures have been finalized.

    I. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

    The Authority is the administrator of the Rural Site Development Initiative. This initiative is subject to funding availability, and the Authority reserves its right to amend the initiative at any time. Use of funds is subject to all applicable state laws and regulations, as well as to the policies and requirements of the Department of Community Affairs and OneGeorgia Equity program.

    For additional information, please contact Bob Kosek, Division Director of Global Commerce for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, at bkosek@georgia.org.

View All