AMS: Local Food Promotion Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), requests applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP).

Donor Name: Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

State: All States

County: All Counties

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 05/14/2024

Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000

Grant Duration: 3 Years

Details:

LFPP funds projects that develop, coordinate, and expand local and regional food business enterprises that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer to consumer marketing to help increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products. The program focuses on:

Supporting the processing, aggregation, distribution, and storage of local and regional food products that are marketed locally or regionally, including value-added agricultural products;

Encouraging the development of value-added agricultural products;
Assisting with business development plans and feasibility studies;
Developing marketing strategies for producers of local food and value-added products;
Facilitating regional food chain coordination and mid-tier value chain development;
Promoting new business opportunities and marketing strategies to reduce on-farm food waste;
Responding to changing technology needs in indirect producer-to-consumer marketing; and
Covering expenses related to cost incurred in obtaining food safety certification and improvements to food safety practices and equipment.

Project Types

LFPP offers Planning, Implementation, Turnkey Marketing and Promotion project types Turnkey Recruitment and Training.

Planning projects are used in the planning stages of developing, coordinating, or expanding a food business that supports locally and regionally produced agricultural products and food system infrastructure.

Projects may include, but are not limited to:

Completing a feasibility study or facilitating supply chain partner planning for a new intermediary food channel (i.e., food hub), to analyze market potential, capacity, and potential competitors, and partners in the region.
Hiring experts for technical assistance to implement a local/regional food transportation system.
Hiring experts for training on managing a local/regional food storage or processing facility.
Devising a business development plan associated with the processing/marketing of local/regional agricultural products, including value-added agricultural products.

Implementation projects are used to establish a new food enterprise or market channel or to improve or expand an existing food enterprise or market channel that supports locally and regionally produced agricultural products and food system infrastructure.

Projects may include, but are not limited to:

Developing or expanding food incubator programs or mid-tier value chains.
Connecting, cultivating, and strengthening relationships between local and regional producers and local and regional food businesses and consumer-facing markets.
Instituting group-based Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certification to increase opportunities for farmers to sell produce into institutional or wholesale marketing channels, including providing financial support for making changes and upgrades to practices and equipment to improve food safety.
Cultivating new local and regional wholesale market channels through an online portal or virtual marketplace.
Investigating and implementing more cost-effective means of transportation for food supply chains through backhaul, route optimization, and/or other operational efficiencies.

Turnkey Recruitment and Training- The Turnkey Recruitment and Training option offers a streamlined application for common LFPP recruitment and training activities for local and regional food system stakeholders. Turnkey applications must clearly demonstrate benefits to farmers and ranchers

Turnkey Marketing and Promotion projects are intended to offer a streamlined approach to some of the most common LFPP grant activities related to the marketing and promotion of local and regional food projects. Applicants applying to the Turnkey Marketing and Promotion track agree to conduct specific activities defined by AMS that support the marketing and promotion of intermediated producer-to consumer market opportunities. Applicants must select a minimum of 3 pre-defined activities listed below.

Identify and analyze new/improved market opportunities.
Develop/revise a marketing plan.
Design/purchase marketing and promotion media.
Implement a marketing plan.
Evaluate marketing and promotion activities.

Applicants to the Turnkey project type should not propose any additional activities beyond the above list, doing so may disqualify the application from consideration. Planning, Implementation, and Farm to Institution project types are eligible to apply under the Turnkey track if they focus on marketing and promotion and meet all other Turnkey requirements.

Funding Information

Approximately $10.5 million is available to fund applications under this solicitation.

Planning Projects
- Minimum Award: $25,000
- Maximum Award: $100,000
- Grant Period: 24 months
Implementation Project
- Minimum Award: $100,000
- Maximum Award: $500,000
- Grant Period: 36 months
Turnkey Recruitment and Training
- Minimum Award: $50,000
- Maximum Award: $100,000
- Grant Period: 24 months
Turnkey Marketing and Promotion Projects
- Minimum Award: $50,000
- Maximum Award: $100,000
- Grant Period: 24 months

Eligibility Criteria

All applicants must be domestic entities owned, operated, and located within the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or Tribal Governments.

Eligible applicants include:

Agricultural Businesses or Cooperatives- Businesses or member-owned entities that provide, hold, deliver, transport, offer, or sell agricultural products or services for member benefit as well as the organization or other business that they represent.
Producer Networks or Association Producer group- or member-owned organizations or businesses that provide, offer, or sell agricultural products or services through a common distribution system for the mutual member benefit as well as organizations or other businesses that assist, represent, or serve producers or producer networks.
CSA Networks or Associations- Formal groups of farms that work collectively to offer consumers regular shares (usually weekly) of locally grown farm products during one or more harvest season(s) often on a subscription or membership basis. This includes organizations or other businesses that assist, serve, or represent CSAs or CSA networks. Customers have access to a selected share or range of farm products offered by the group of farmers based on partial or total advance payment of a subscription or membership fee.
Food Council- Food policy council or food and farm system network that represents multiple organizations that addresses food and farm related issues and needs within city, county, State, Tribal region, multicounty region, or other regions.
Local Governments- Any unit of government within a State, including a county; borough; municipality; city; town; township; parish; local public authority, including any public housing agency under the United States Housing Act of 1937 (50 Stat. 888 (Pub. L. No. 75—412); special district; school district; intrastate district; council of governments, whether or not incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under State law; and any other agency or instrumentality of a multi-state, regional, or intra-state or local government.
Nonprofit Corporations- Any organization or institution, including nonprofits with State or IRS 501 (c)(3) status and accredited institutions of higher education, where no part of the organization’s or institution’s net earnings inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.
Public Benefit Corporations- Corporations organized to construct or operate a public improvement, the profits from which inure to the benefit of one or more State or to the people therein.
Economic Development– Corporations Organizations whose missions are to improve, maintain, develop, and/or market or promote a specific geographic area.
Regional Farmers Market Authorities- Entities that establish and enforce regional, State, or county policies and jurisdiction over State, regional, or county farmers markets. State agencies are eligible if their State’s regulatory statutes identify the specific State agency as a regional farmers market authority.