Establishes a requirement for the creation of short form applications for rural communities applying for economic development grants.
Defines “rural community” as municipalities, Tribal areas, or territories with populations of 10,000 or fewer, or those not located in metropolitan statistical areas.
Mandates the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development to create the short form application for use in any grant program administered by the Economic Development Administration.
Requires the Assistant Secretary to gather input from rural community stakeholders regarding the challenges they face in the grant application process.
Focus areas for stakeholder input include the length of applications, required documentation, relevance of application questions to rural communities, and any other necessary considerations for the short form application.
