I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6041 
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide rural partnership pro-
gram grants and rural partnership technical assistance grants, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 12, 2025 
Ms. SALINAS (for herself and Mr. VALADAO) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide rural 
partnership program grants and rural partnership tech-
nical assistance grants, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural Partnership and 
Prosperity Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 
has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 
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Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 
(2) RURAL; RURAL AREA.—The terms ‘‘rural’’ 
and ‘‘rural area’’ have the meaning given those 
terms in section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated 
Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
1991(a)(13)(A)). 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture. 
SEC. 3. RURAL PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM GRANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of ap-
propriations under subsection (j), the Secretary shall es-
tablish a program to make multiyear grant awards to co-
ordinate Federal, nonprofit, and for-profit investment in 
rural areas. 
(b) GRANT REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) TERM.—The term of a grant awarded 
under subsection (a) shall be not less than 2 years 
and not more than 5 years. 
(2) AWARDS.—Except as provided in para-
graphs (3) and (4), the State offices of the rural de-
velopment mission area shall be responsible for re-
viewing applications for grant awards under sub-
section (a) and selecting eligible applicants described 
in subsection (d) for those grant awards. 
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(3) TRIBAL AWARDS.—Except as provided in 
paragraph (4), in the case of grants under sub-
section (a) allocated to Indian Tribes under sub-
section (c)(1)(B), the national office of the rural de-
velopment mission area shall be responsible for re-
viewing applications for grant awards under sub-
section (a) and selecting eligible applicants described 
in subsection (d) for those grant awards. 
(4) COMPETITIVE PROCESS.—If the amount ap-
propriated under subsection (j) for a fiscal year is 
less than or equal to $300,000,000, the national of-
fice of the rural development mission area shall be 
responsible for reviewing applications for grant 
awards under subsection (a) and selecting eligible 
applicants described in subsection (d) for those 
grant awards— 
(A) on a competitive basis; and 
(B) by giving priority to areas that have 
higher nonmetropolitan poverty levels and lower 
population levels, while ensuring that grants 
under this section are awarded in diverse geo-
graphic regions of the United States. 
(c) GRANT ALLOCATION.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in sub-
section (b)(4), the Secretary shall allocate funding 
for grants under subsection (a)— 
(A) for each State based on a formula de-
termined by the Secretary in accordance with 
paragraph (2); and 
(B) for Indian Tribes in such amounts as 
the Secretary determines to be appropriate, 
subject to the condition that the total amount 
allocated to Indian Tribes under this subpara-
graph shall not be less than 5 percent of the 
amount appropriated under subsection (j), with 
Indian Tribes located in areas that have higher 
poverty levels and lower populations receiving 
higher levels of funding. 
(2) ALLOCATION REQUIREMENTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall de-
velop a graduated scale to allocate funding for 
States under paragraph (1)(A) based on the 
nonmetropolitan poverty and population levels 
in each State. 
(B) LIMITATION.—The amount allocated 
to any State under subparagraph (A) shall not 
exceed 5 percent of the amount appropriated 
under subsection (j). 
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(3) SMALL STATE EXCEPTION TO FORMULA.— 
Notwithstanding paragraphs (1)(A) and (2)(A), the 
Secretary shall ensure that each State is allocated 
an amount for grants under this subsection that is 
sufficient to fulfill the purposes of the program es-
tablished under this section, as determined by the 
Secretary. 
(4) REALLOCATION.—If a State or Indian Tribe 
does not use funds allocated to the State or Indian 
Tribe under this subsection, the Secretary may re-
allocate the unused funds to 1 or more other States 
or Indian Tribes, each of which has used all of the 
funding allocated to the State or Indian Tribe under 
this subsection. 
(d) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—To be eligible to receive 
a grant under subsection (a), an applicant shall— 
(1) propose to serve a rural area; 
(2) be composed of a partnership of 2 or more 
of— 
(A) an instrumentality or political subdivi-
sion of a State, such as a municipality, county, 
district, or authority; 
(B) a nonprofit corporation or association 
with significant ties to the rural area described 
in paragraph (1), including through— 
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executive of the appropriate Tribal govern-
ment; and 
(3) demonstrate cooperation among the mem-
bers of the partnership described in paragraph (2) 
necessary to complete comprehensive, asset-based 
rural development through eligible activities de-
scribed in subsection (e). 
(e) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible applicant de-
scribed in subsection (d) that receives a grant under sub-
section (a) may use the grant funds in rural areas— 
(1) to coordinate Federal, State, regional, or 
Tribal initiatives to reduce duplicative efforts with 
respect to Federal investments; 
(2) to leverage non-Federal financial and tech-
nical resources; 
(3) to complete comprehensive predevelopment 
activities and planning; 
(4) to create public-private partnerships and at-
tract private investment; 
(5) to support eligible operational activities, in-
cluding staffing, of the eligible applicants, except 
that a for-profit entity may not use the grant funds 
for the purpose described in this paragraph; 
(6) to provide capital to existing or new 
projects, subject to the condition that not more than 
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50 percent of the grant funds may be used for that 
purpose; 
(7) to support regional projects and initiatives; 
(8) to address economic recovery from emer-
gencies and natural or man-made disasters; and 
(9) to develop strategic community investment 
plans described in section 379H(d) of the Consoli-
dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
2008v(d)). 
(f) INELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible applicant 
described in subsection (d) that receives a grant under 
subsection (a) may not use the grant funds— 
(1) to fund operational activities, including 
staffing, at a for-profit institution; 
(2) to purchase or lease real property; or 
(3) to support a non-rural area. 
(g) SELECTION
CRITERIA.—In awarding grants 
under subsection (b), the Secretary shall give priority to 
an eligible applicant described in subsection (d) that pro-
poses to serve— 
(1) a rural area with a significant change in 
population; 
(2) a rural area with significant workforce 
changes or changes in major employers; 
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(3) an economically distressed rural area, as de-
termined by the Secretary; 
(4) a rural area that has historically received 
minimal Federal funding, as determined by the Sec-
retary; or 
(5) a rural area for the purpose of job retention 
and economic stabilization, as determined by the 
Secretary. 
(h) MATCHING FUNDS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), an 
eligible applicant described in subsection (d) that re-
ceives a grant under subsection (a) shall provide 
non-Federal matching funds in the form of cash or 
an in-kind contribution in an amount that is not less 
than 25 percent of the amount of the grant. 
(2) WAIVER.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may 
waive the requirement under paragraph (1) 
based on the demonstrated need of the eligible 
applicant or the population served by the eligi-
ble applicant, as determined by the Secretary, 
including— 
(i) an eligible applicant serving an 
area with a higher nonmetropolitan poverty 
level; 
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(ii) an eligible applicant serving a 
Tribal population; and 
(iii) an eligible applicant composed of 
a partnership that includes an entity de-
scribed in subsection (d)(2)(A). 
(B) JUSTIFICATION.—The Secretary shall 
provide to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the 
Senate a justification for each waiver provided 
under subparagraph (A). 
(3) PROVIDERS.—Non-Federal matching funds 
under paragraph (1) may be provided by any mem-
ber of the applicable partnership described in sub-
section (d)(2). 
(i) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall carry out 
this section in coordination with the Rural Partners Net-
work established by section 6306 of the Agriculture Im-
provement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2204b–3). 
(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are nec-
essary to carry out this section. 
(2) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary may re-
tain not more than 2 percent of the amounts made 
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available to carry out this section for administration 
of the program established under this section. 
SEC. 4. RURAL PARTNERSHIP TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 
GRANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the availability of ap-
propriations under subsection (g), the Secretary shall es-
tablish a program to award grants, on a competitive basis, 
for up to a 5-year period, to be administered at the na-
tional level through the Under Secretary for Rural Devel-
opment, for the purpose of advising on and assisting rural 
community organizations with— 
(1) Federal grant management and the develop-
ment of financial management systems; 
(2) housing or community economic develop-
ment projects; and 
(3) the development of placemaking plans and 
applications for Federal grants. 
(b) ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.—To be eligible to receive 
a grant under subsection (a), an applicant shall be a quali-
fied private or nonprofit intermediary organization, includ-
ing an institution of higher education with an existing 
community development and planning program, including 
an extension program, that has demonstrated experience 
and capacity to provide technical assistance on community 
development and planning in rural areas. 
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