The Secretary may make grants to public bodies, private nonprofit corporations, economic development authorities, institutions of higher education, federally recognized Indian Tribes, and rural cooperatives for the purpose of providing or obtaining technical assistance and training to support funding applications for programs carried out by the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
In selecting recipients of grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to grants serving persistent poverty counties and high poverty communities, as determined by the Secretary.