The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) is soliciting proposals for the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Grant to build resilience across the middle-of-the-food-supply-chain within Massachusetts.
Donor Name: Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
State: Massachusetts
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/29/2024
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
Such proposals include, but are not limited to, projects that expand capacity, aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of locally and regionally produced food products, including specialty crops, dairy, grains for human consumption, aquaculture, and other food products, excluding meat and poultry.
USDA has awarded states funding, and states are to make subawards in the form of Infrastructure Grants and Simplified Equipment-Only Grants to middle-of-the-supply businesses to create more diverse local and regional market options and create more economic opportunities for communities, allowing them to retain more of the value chain dollar. RFSI investments aim to create a food systems infrastructure to support competitive and profitable market access for domestic farm products.
The program also aims to:
- Support development of value‐added products available to consumers;
- Support proposals that provide fair prices, fair wages and new and safe job opportunities that keep profits in rural communities; and
- Increase diversity in processing options in terms of business model approaches, geography, and availability to underserved communities.
Funding Information
MDAR intends to fund $3,000,000 in projects through this competitive RFR process. Funding may be split between two funding opportunities within the RFSI program:
- Infrastructure Grants – Max request $500,000
- 50% Match Cost Requirement
- 25% Match Requirement for Historically Underserved Farmers or Ranchers
- Simplified Equipment-only Grants – Minimum request of $10,000 and a maximum of $100,000
- No match requirement.
Duration of Contract
Estimating June 2024 and Projects must be completed by May 24, 2027.
Who May Apply?
Entities eligible for the RFSI Infrastructure Grants and Simplified Equipment-Only Grants:
- Agricultural producers or processors, or groups of agricultural producers and processors
- Nonprofit organizations operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural products
- For-profit entities operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, or distribution of targeted agricultural products, whose activities are primarily focused for the benefit of local and regional producers, and that meet the eligibility requirements of the SBA small business size standards are eligible.
- For-profit entities must meet the eligibility requirements of the SBA small business size standards matched to industries described in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
- Local government entities operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural products
- Tribal governments operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural products.
- Institutions such as schools, universities, or hospitals bringing producers together to establish cooperative or shared infrastructure or invest in equipment that will benefit multiple producers middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural product.
For more information, visit MDAR.
