The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Agriculture is accepting grant applications for the 2024 Local Agriculture and Seafood Act Grant Program.
Donor Name: Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
State: Rhode Island
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 11/30/2023
Size of the Grant: $20,000
Grant Duration: 24 months
Details:
The LASA Grant Program provides grants that directly benefit and strengthen the local food system in Rhode Island. The program was established by the Local Agriculture and Seafood Act (LASA) of 2012 via an innovative public-private partnership between the state and three private foundations — the van Beuren Charitable Foundation, the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, and the Rhode Island Foundation. Currently, the program is made possible by funding from the State of Rhode Island. The goal of the LASA grant program is to support the growth, development, and marketing of local food and seafood in Rhode Island.
Funding Priorities
Applicants are required to fulfil at least one (not all) of the funding priorities listed below:
- Support the entry, growth, and/or sustainability of Socially Disadvantaged, Beginning, Small, Women, and veteran agriculture and aquaculture producers and fishers
- Support climate-smart agriculture mitigation activities and Climate Change related adaptations throughout the local Food System.
- Support the development of new marketing, promotion, sales, and/or distribution channels, including connecting local farms and fishers with Rhode Island’s food insecure communities.
- Support the development of new products, including value added processing capacity.
- Foster new cooperatives, partnerships, and/or collaborations among Rhode Island agriculture and aquaculture producers, and fishers and supporting organizations.
- Protect the future availability of agricultural land for producers, including farm transition planning and implementation.
- Assist with on farm Food Safety improvements including FSMA and HACCP Compliance
Funding Information
- The RIDEM Division of Agriculture will award between $650,000 and $700,000 in this grant round.
- The maximum grant award available to a farmer, individual, business (e.g., LLC) or non-profit organization is $20,000.
Project Period
Projects may be up to 24 months in duration.
Eligibility Criteria
For-profit farmers, fishermen/women, and producer groups are eligible to apply as are non-profit organizations. Applicants must be based in the State of Rhode Island. The Advisory Committee will value geographic diversity in the applicant pool when making award determinations. Only Small and/or Beginning farmers, or producer groups of small or beginning farmers, are eligible to apply for capital grants. (Aquaculture operators are considered farmers in this regard).
For more information, visit DEM.
