The Last Food Mile Grant is a one-time funding opportunity offered by Farm to Family, an innovative program of the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) that offers grants, networking opportunities, and marketing consultations for farmers, food businesses, and others in local food supply chains.
Donor Name: Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD)
State: Michigan
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/06/2026
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The aim of this grant is to help producers deliver locally grown foods to Michigan institutions, markets and consumers by developing transportation and distribution infrastructure across Michigan.
Eligible Projects
Required:
- The project expands delivery of Michigan grown or produced foods to buyers who will eat or prepare the food (e.g., individual consumers, schools, hospitals, senior centers, restaurants, cafes, farm stops and other retail, etc.).
- The project establishes or expands at least one partnership with another business or organization to address local food distribution challenges regionally or locally. Partnership objectives may include but are not limited to:
- Cross-docking: a logistical practice of “Just-In-Time Scheduling” where products are delivered directly from a manufacturer or a mode of transportation to a customer or another mode of transportation.
- Aggregation: bringing together products from multiple sources to create a larger and more consistent supply. This process can be used to maximize efficiency among multiple suppliers that serve the same or similar buyers.
- Processing: preserving and adding value to foods. Different types of processing include refrigeration, canning, freezing, and drying to preserve foods; washing, chopping, and bagging so that foods are more consumer ready; and mixing ingredients for new products like jams, salsas, sauces, sausages, baked goods, and prepared meals.
- Market Access: expanding producer access to a new customer base through promotion, site selection, incentivization, etc.
- Mentorship: guidance from a person, business, or organization with experience implementing similar initiatives.
- Shared Use: expanding local food distribution capacity by sharing equipment or infrastructure with another organization or business.
- The project proposal must demonstrate how the following goals will be met, and it must describe targets for each.
- Increase the volume/weight of Michigan grown foods sold in Michigan communities.
- Increase the dollar value of Michigan grown foods sold AND the revenue to Michigan farmers.
- Increase the number of Michigan farmers reached, including those who use regenerative practices.
- Increase local and regional market access for a broader geographic distribution of Michigan farmers.
- Increase the number or types of consumers who have access to Michigan grown foods.
- The outcomes of the grant are planned to be achieved within one year.
Preferred:
- The project develops market channels for regenerative agriculture products.
- At least 80% of the proposed budget is allocated to a refrigerated vehicle.
- The project is innovative in its approach or desired outcomes.
- The project serves a geographic area and/or stakeholder groups that currently have limited access to local food value chains.
- Applicant does not have another active MDARD grant.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants for this grant program must be a Michigan-based farm business or a Michigan-based food business/organization that works directly with Michigan-based farmers.
For more information, visit MDARD.
