The Choose Iowa Value-Added Grant Program exists to identify, evaluate, and financially support programs and services that add value to agricultural products, enable new technologies, and support alternative marketing strategies.
Donor Name: Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
State: Iowa
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/15/2023
Size of the Grant: $5,000
Details:
These cost-share grants leverage additional private investment and were created to assist Iowa farmers, businesses and non-profits with their efforts to increase or diversify their agricultural product offerings, expand markets and shorten the supply chain.
Value-added agriculture increases the value of raw commodity products through production, processing or manufacturing.
Funding Information
Maximum grant awards shall not exceed $25,000.
- Applicants must provide a minimum of one-to-one (1:1) financial match from private sources such as cash, financing or other grant funds for total project costs. In-kind contributions are not accepted.
- Example: An individual applying for a grant of $5,000 must provide at least $5,000 from other sources.
- Additional points will be awarded to applicants that provide more than the required match amount.
Eligible Projects
- Projects must:
- Increase sales of Iowa agricultural products by increasing production capacity or expanding market access for value-added projects
- Not be in progress until a grant is awarded
- Be completed in 12 months or less
- Be conducted in Iowa
- Examples include but are not limited to:
- Purchase and installation of equipment used in the production of value-added agricultural products.
- On-farm store or commercial kitchen.
- Food hub development or expansion.
- Direct to consumer technology.
- Cooler walls and refrigeration units.
- Grading, packing, labeling, packaging or sorting equipment.
- Refrigerated trucks to access new markets.
- Food processing short courses and workshops.
Eligibility Criteria
- Be an individual, business, agricultural cooperative, non-profit organization, or local government.
- Be in good standing with the State of Iowa
- Currently reside or conduct business in Iowa.
Ineligibility
- Equipment and infrastructure for meat processing (funding available through IEDA).
- Infrastructure for renewable fuels (funding available through IDALS-RFIP).
- Dairy processing and dairy labor-reducing technology (funding available through IDALS-Dairy Innovation Fund)
- Expenses incurred prior to grant award.
- Start-up costs such as inventory, license fees, working capital, etc.
- Costs associated with advertising, public relations, entertainment.
- Employee wages and benefits.
- Paying off existing debt, related collection costs or legal fees.
- Paying off existing fines, penalties or settlements for failure to comply with laws or regulations.
For more information, visit Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
