In a ceremony that included all three county commissioners as well as a handful of other local luminaries, the Kitsap County Community Development Corp (KCCDC) recently was awarded a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Business Enterprise fund. The formal presentation of the money took place during a reception on August 9, which was held at the Norm Dicks Government Center.

The grant will allow the two-year-old agency to continue on its mission of providing economic incentives to small local firm, with the money being slated for KCCDC’s Revolving Loan Fund. The fund will provide loans to businesses in Suquamish or Port Orchard, both targeted because they meet USDA’s criteria for low income and rural areas.

The loans may be for gap financing, adding capital to a business project if the owner is short on personal equity, collateral for conventional financing, or micro loans between $500 and $5,000. A bank is required to finance at least 50 percent of the project.

Small business owners receiving loans must create or retain jobs for low-income persons, helping stimulate economic development in Kitsap County by increasing our tax base and creating local jobs to reduce the number of workers commuting.

KCCDC received numerous letters of support from elected officials and rural business owners, including Congressman Norm Dicks, Senator Phil Rockefeller, local government officials, WSU Extension’s Master Gardener program, and small farms or other businesses that would benefit from alternate funding.

Linda Knight, program specialist with the USDA, offered invaluable assistance as did professional grant-writer Kathleen Byrne-Barrantes of Grant-Solutions in Poulsbo to secure the money for the KCCDC.