The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 empowers the Department of Commerce to deliver for rural America.

U.S. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION
The U.S. Economic Development Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture partnered to create “Joint Planning,” a resource guide documenting Federal funding and planning strategies to promote sustainable economic development in Rural America.

Additionally, under the American Rescue Plan, EDA investments include 780 awards across 433 unique counties to projects ranging from supporting core enabling infrastructure to planning and workforce development to entrepreneurship to transforming regional economic clusters.

NATIONAL OCEANIC ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

NOAA’s work as part of the Resilient Rural America Project recently launched two self-guided, no-cost training modules to build local capacity and resilience to extreme weather for rural communities across the United States.

NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION

NTIA’s BroadbandUSA program promotes innovation and economic growth by supporting efforts to expand broadband connectivity and meaningful use across America.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION

ITA’s Rural Export Center aims to empower rural U.S. companies to thrive in international markets through actionable market intelligence and global connections.

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
In 2020, the U.S. Census Bureau released a guide titled “Understanding and Using American Community Survey Data: What Users of Data for Rural Areas Need to Know.”

U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

The Access USPTO program works with national organizations that focus not specifically on intellectual property but whose members include underserved and hard-to-reach inventors, entrepreneurs, and aspiring creators who could benefit from knowing how to protect their ideas, creations, and brands.

The Department of Commerce is a The Rural Partners Network (RPN) member. RPN is an all-of-government program that helps rural communities find resources and funding to create jobs, build infrastructure, and support long-term economic stability on their terms.