Rural Development Co-operative Agreement

Pursuant to the Federal Agricultural Improvement Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-127), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) received authorization from Congress under 7 U.S.C. 2204b(b)(4) to enter into cooperative agreements for the purpose of improving the coordination and effectiveness of programs that benefit rural areas. This authority is referred to as the Rural Development Cooperative Agreement (RDCA) program. There are three agencies within USDA that administer programs that specifically target rural areas: the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS), the Rural Housing Service (RHS), and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS).

The latest form for Rural Development Co-operative Agreement expires 2026-06-30 and can be found here.