The Agricultural Marketing Service is currently accepting applications for its USDA Regional Food Business Centers to support a more resilient, diverse, and competitive food system.
Donor Name: Agricultural Marketing Service
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 11/22/2022
Size of the Grant: $50,000,000
Grant Duration: 60 months
Details:
These Regional Food Centers will support producers by providing localized assistance to access local and regional supply chains, including linking producers to wholesalers and distributors. They will provide technical assistance needed to access new markets, access to federal, state, and local resources, and will assist small- and mid-sized producers in overcoming barriers to market access, with a focus on underserved farmers, ranchers, and food businesses. No match is required.
USDA Regional Food Business Centers will have three main responsibilities:
- Coordination – The Regional Food Centers will act as regional hubs coordinating across geographic areas with USDA, other federal, state, and tribal agencies with relevant resources, regional commissions, stakeholders, and the other Regional Food Centers. They will engage with stakeholders and partners to develop and implement strategic and funding plans for serving the region through technical assistance and capacity building. They will conduct outreach to underserved communities and businesses.
- Technical Assistance – The Regional Food Centers will provide direct business technical assistance to small- and mid-sized food and farm businesses (producers, processors, aggregators, distributors, and other businesses within the food supply chain) and food value and supply chain coordination. Each Regional Food Center will identify priority areas for technical assistance (e.g., aggregation/distribution, specialty crop processing for institutions) for the region it plans to serve.
- Capacity Building – The Regional Food Centers will provide financial assistance through business builder subawards up to $100,000 to support projects focused on regional needs and businesses that are working towards expansion and other investment. These subawards may support staff time, business planning activities, software implementation, the purchase of special purpose equipment, such as food safety, processing and packaging equipment, and value chain coordination, and other expenses associated as outlined in the RFA.
This program is intended to benefit small and mid-sized producers, processors, aggregators, and distributors that sell into all types of markets, including local and regional markets. This program is inclusive of all types of products produced locally or regionally, including fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, grains, and dairy. Applicants are required to prioritize service to underserved communities and businesses. Applicants to be USDA Regional Food Centers should engage and involve these beneficiaries when developing projects and applications.
Funding Information
- Award Ceiling: $50,000,000
- Award Floor: $15,000,000
- Duration (Months): 60
Eligibility Criteria
- Special district governments
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- State governments
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Private institutions of higher education
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
