Wednesday, Mar 2 2011 10:55PM
Orland is appealing to the state of California for a federal grant that could aid the city's small business development.
Officials in Orland, California, are teaming up with Glenn County to seek funding for micro-enterprising grant funding that would provide economic development assistance to the rural city's local businesses, reported the Orland Press Register.
The City Council approved a motion to submit a letter of support toward the county's application for $350,000 in assistance from the California Community Economic Enterprise Fund. The paper said funding would come from a California Community Development Block Grant that City Manager Paul Poczobut Jr. said would be split into two loan components. The first would allocate $50,000 for small $2,500 to $15,000 grants for Orland businesses, while the rest would be reserved for technical assistance.
Pozcubut added that city officials have discussed the application with other Glen County agencies to increase the chances of obtaining funding. The Orland Area Chamber of Commerce and officials from nearby Willows are also expected to provide letters of support for the application, reported the paper.
The federal government is aware that many rural communities are struggling economically, which is why the U.S. Department of Agriculture offers Business and Industry Guaranteed Loans to local governments and nonprofit organizations to help strengthen local businesses.