Rural Site Development in Georgia

Rural Site Development Initiative Program 

Sites submitted by their local communities will be vetted semi-annually by the Georgia’s Economic Development and Community Affairs departments for funding consideration. Approved sites will have various levels of funding matched by the communities based on outlined criteria.
 

Site and Program Requirements

• Applicant must be a development authority, and the 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 years following grant award. 
• Sites receiving Survey and Due Diligence Grant must commit to Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) certification within three years. 
   

Community Match for Funds

•  “Eligible counties are expected to provide at least a 10% match of grant amount while conditionally eligible counties are required to provide at least a 25% match. 
• To identify if you are eligible or conditionally eligible, please refer to OneGeorgia Authority Official Map of Eligible Counties.

Opportunities in Rural Georgia 

Discover sites that are ready for development across rural Georgia:  

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Program in Action 

Screven County earned a Site Improvement Grant courtesy of the RSDI program in late 2024. Hear from the community on how the program helped them become more attractive to companies.

Explore Georgia’s GRAD Program

GRAD certification is another accreditation Georgia communities can obtain to highlight their competitive edge and development-ready status to companies.