The Washington State Department of Agriculture is seeking applications for its Local Food System Infrastructure Grants.
Donor Name: Washington State Department of Agriculture
State: Washington
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 11/15/2023
Size of the Grant:
- Rapid and Ready: $10,000 Up to $75,000
- Large Projects: Over $75,000 Up to $500,000
Grant Duration:
- Rapid and Ready: 5 months
- Large Projects: 17 months
Details:
The purpose of the Local Food System Infrastructure Grant program is to support local food supply chains and market access for farms, ranches, food processors, and food distributors. The intention is to fund projects that expand and strengthen collaboration across linkages in the regional food supply chain. This includes planning, equipment, and facilities that support on-farm post-harvest handling, aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, distribution, and sale of Washington grown, caught, and raised foods.
Investments that strengthen linkages along the regional food supply chain create new economic opportunities for farmers, ranchers, and food businesses. Expanding local market access with improvements in the regional food supply chain allows small and mid-sized farms, ranches, and food businesses to retain more of the value chain dollar. Ultimately, this grant program benefits Washington consumers by enhancing the resiliency of the local food supply.
Grant Categories
Rapid and Ready: $10,000 up to $75,000
- Rapid & Ready grants are for straightforward project and equipment purchases that can be completed on a short timeline. This grant category may also be a good fit for or a stand-alone component/phase of a larger project, in preparation for a larger grant project proposal in a future round. Proposed Rapid & Ready projects that involve contractors or building improvements should have a current, binding quote from a contractor and all necessary permits approved and in-hand. Applicants should have up-front funds in place to start and finish a reimbursement style grant within a short timeline. Rapid & Ready projects likely address one specific infrastructure gap that limits a farm or food business’s growth and market access, or may strengthen just a single linkage in the local food supply chain (for example, on-farm pos-harvest handling, aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, distribution, wholesaling, or direct marketing.)
- February 2024 – June 30, 2024 (5 months total).
Large Projects: Over $75,000 up to $500,000
- Large Project grants are for more complex projects with longer timelines. This grant is the best fit for projects that include design, permitting, planning, or coordination steps that need to be completed before other project activities can occur, such as the purchase and installation of new equipment or improvements to a physical facility. This grant is also a good fit for projects that require coordination between various project partners, such as collaborative marketing/market access efforts. Large projects are likely to address multiple gaps and improve various linkages in the local food system, including on-farm post-harvest handling, aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, distribution, wholesaling, and direct marketing.
- Grant project timeline: February 2024 – June 30, 2025 (17 months total).
Eligible expenses include but are not limited to:
- Facility permitting, design, engineering, and construction costs.
- Food processing equipment purchase, installation, or repair.
- Food storage and distribution equipment purchase, installation, or repair.
- Vehicles or trailers for food delivery.
- Technology improvements.
- Food safety improvements.
- Worker safety improvements.
- Employee trainings.
- Business, financial, or feasibility planning for post-harvest and local market access/supply chain activities.
- Marketing or brand development that improves market access or visible presence in local/regional markets.
- Other related costs that directly support completion of the proposed project.
Eligibility Criteria
- An owner-operated farm or ranch in Washington with less than $1 million in annual gross cash farm income in 2022, that sells some portion of their products in Washington state (or within 250 miles of the farm or ranch).
- An owner-operated farm is one in which the majority of the business is owned by the person/s involved in the day to day on-farm operation, including co-operatively owned and operated farms or ranches.
OR
- A non-farm food business with less than $5 million dollars in annual revenue in 2022, and fewer than 200 employees, whose primary function is to gather, process, manufacture, move, store, or sell foods grown, caught, or raised in Washington (or within 250 miles of the farm where the agricultural products originated).
- Revenue and employee count must include parent company and subsidiaries and across all geographies where the company operates.
- Employee count is the average number of people employed for each pay period over the business’s latest 24 calendar months. Any person on the payroll must be included as one employee, regardless of hours worked or temporary status.
- A non-profit, tribal, or local government entity that is directly enabling small and midsize Washington farms, ranches, and food businesses to access or improve aggregation, processing, distribution of their products in Washington (or within 250 miles of the farm), or otherwise directly enabling their access to markets within Washington (or within 250 miles of the farm). This grant may not be used for sub-awards or pass-through funding.
For more information, visit WSDA.
