The AFID Infrastructure Program is focused on awarding reimbursable grants primarily for capital projects at new and existing food hubs, farmers’ markets, commercial kitchens and other value-added facilities such as those used for processing and packaging meats, dairy products, produce, or other Virginia-grown products.
Donor Name: Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS)
State: Virginia
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant | Reimbursement
Deadline: 11/15/2024
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Small farmers, food producers, local food systems advocates and others interested in building their community’s local food and farming infrastructure are encouraged to learn more about the program and work with their localities to identify and develop suitable projects.
The Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund Infrastructure Grant Program (AFID Infrastructure Program) provides grants of up to $50,000 per grant to political subdivisions for community infrastructure development projects that support local food production and sustainable agriculture.
Project Types
Projects receiving funding through the AFID Infrastructure Program must be infrastructure development projects that directly support local food production and sustainable agriculture/forestry and demonstrate a broad community benefit. Grant funds should be used primarily for capital expenditures.
Priority Project Types
Consideration will be given to the following project types:
- Processing facilities that are primarily locally owned, including commercial kitchens, packaging and labeling facilities, animal slaughtering facilities, or other facilities, and that are primarily utilized for the processing of meats, dairy products, produce, or other products
- Farmers markets
- Food hubs and other agricultural aggregation facilities
Additional consideration will be given to projects benefiting multiple small-scale agricultural producers and to projects located in economically distressed communities.
Allowable Costs
- Buildings and Land— Construction and/or Renovation
- Additions, improvements, modifications, replacements, rearrangements, reinstallations, renovations, alterations, or construction on an existing building or facility. The construction of new buildings at an existing facility and of wastewater management structures. This also includes construction and construction-related materials, which may include, but are not limited to, the purchase of building materials such as wood, nails, concrete, asphalt, roofing, gravel, sand, paint, insulation, drywall, or plumbing.
- Contractual Expenses (Installation, etc)
- Allowable provided that the services are explicitly relevant to the project, outlined clearly in the work plan, and are documented in accordance with generally accepted practices.
- Equipment, Supplies, and Materials
- Special purpose equipment purchases are allowable when provided in the approved budget or with prior written approval for acquisitions costs and rental costs of special purpose equipment provided the following criteria are met:
- Allowable:
- Purchases of special purpose equipment (such as, canners, hulling processors, reverse osmosis systems, egg packing machines, flotation tanks, roasters, or other processing equipment, packing and labeling equipment, or delivery vehicles) are allowable when approved in the agreement budget or with prior written approval.
- All equipment purchases must meet the following criteria:
- Equipment is necessary for the technical activities of the agreement and is not otherwise reasonably available and accessible.
- Equipment is normally charged as a direct cost by the organization and is acquired in accordance with organizational practices.
- Equipment must be used solely to meet the purpose of the program and objectives of the agreement.
- Allowable:
- Special purpose equipment purchases are allowable when provided in the approved budget or with prior written approval for acquisitions costs and rental costs of special purpose equipment provided the following criteria are met:
- General Costs of Government (Personnel)
- Allowable subject to work plan and budget approval. These costs must fall under the “Personnel” budget category and may include salaries and expenses of the local government body as they relate to the project activities.
- Salaries and Wages
- Allowable as part of employee compensation for personnel services in proportion to the amount of time or effort an employee devotes to the grant project during the grant period under the award, including salaries, wages, and fringe benefits.
- Such costs must be incurred under formally established policies of the organization, be consistently applied, be reasonable for the services rendered, and be supported with adequate documentation.
- Travel – Foreign and Domestic
- Allowable for travel, with prior approval and when costs are limited to those allowed by formal organizational policy and the purpose aligns with the legislated purpose of the program.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications must be made by a political subdivision of the Commonwealth, typically Counties and Cities, but also Towns, Industrial and Economic Development Authorities, or Planning District Commissions (‘localities’).
- Applications may be made on behalf of more than one locality, provided each applicant contributes matching funds and a single political subdivision serves as the lead applicant and grant administrator.
- Applicants are permitted to have multiple active AFID Infrastructure Program grants but will only be eligible for one grant award per grant round. Applicants must be in good standing with any other awards from the AFID program.
For more information, visit VDACS.
