The New Hampshire’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI) is to build resilience in the middle-of-the-supply-chain in the Granite State and strengthen the local and regional food systems through the creation of new revenue streams in the areas of aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of local agricultural products.
Donor Name: New Hampshire Department of Agriculture Markets & Food (NHDAMF)
State: New Hampshire
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/29/2024
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
The New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food has developed their RFSI plan to benefit NH farms and food businesses both directly and indirectly through grants, targeted technical assistance, and training with the goal of expanding capacity for processing, aggregation, and distribution of agricultural products to create more and better markets for producers; filling gaps in cold storage, transportation, and distribution for farms, food processors, and food hubs; increase access to cooperative commercial kitchens and/or other value-added product producing facilities; and increase processing for new products; increase branding and food safety through packing and labeling.
Funding Information
RFSI Infrastructure Grants will award up to $1,000,000 through a competitive review process. The maximum individual grant award will be $250,000 and the minimum will be $100,000.
Project Period
Projects will begin no earlier than July 1, 2024 and must be completed by May 24, 2027.
Eligible Activities
The following activities or tasks are eligible for funding:
- Hiring term-limited personnel to assist with project implementation activities.
- Purchasing special purpose equipment: This includes the purchase of special purpose equipment for institutions or others that will benefit multiple producers through middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural product.
- Analyzing potential facility upgrades and changes that meet regulatory requirements, obtaining design and/or architecture services, etc. (to the extent these costs are directly related to the project).
- Planning for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) or other food safety or worker safety measures or equipment recommendations; and
- Upgrades or new facilities for processing specific agricultural products, such as:
-
- On-farm post-harvest processing, preservation, and storage/cold storage
- Post-harvest cleaning and grading o Aggregator warehouse and storage, including cooperatives
- Purchase of freezing equipment, freezer, or cold storage
- Processing, canning, preserving and pasteurization
- Preparation and packing
- Drying, hulling, shelling, and milling; and
- Cooking, baking, juicing, distilling, fermenting.
Eligible Projects
RFSI is intended to serve middle-of-the-supply-chain needs to add value and provide more, new, and better markets for locally or regionally produced food. This program is to support food system crops and products meant for human consumption (excluding meat and poultry products, which are funded through other USDA programs). Infrastructure Grants will fund projects that expand capacity and infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of targeted agricultural products. Examples include:
- Expanding processing capacities, including adding product types, increasing production volumes, and supporting new wholesale/retail product lines.
- Modernizing equipment or facilities through upgrades, repairs, or retooling; (e.g., adapting product lines for institutional procurement or adding parallel processing capacity).
- Purchase and installation of specialized equipment, such as processing components, sorting equipment, packing and labeling equipment, or delivery vehicles.
- Modernizing manufacturing, tracking, storage, and information technology systems.
- Enhancing worker safety through adoption of new technologies or investment in equipment or facility improvements.
- Construction of a new facility.
- Increasing packaging and labeling capacities that meet compliance requirements under applicable laws (e.g. sealing, bagging, boxing, labeling, conveying, and product moving equipment);
- Increasing storage space, including cold storage.
- Develop, customize or install climate‐smart equipment that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, increases efficiency in water use, improves air and/or water quality, and/or meets one or more of USDA’s climate action goals.
- Modernize equipment or facilities to ensure food safety, including associated Hazard, Analysis, and Critical Control Points (HACCP) consultation, plan development and employee training; and
- Training on the use of all equipment purchased under the grant and associated new processes.
Eligible Entities
Entities eligible for RFSI Grants are:
- Agricultural producers or processors, or groups of agricultural producers and processors.
- Nonprofit organizations operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural products.
- For-profit entities operating middle of the supply chain activities such as processing, aggregation, or distribution of targeted agricultural products, whose activities are primarily focused for the benefit of local and regional producers, and that meet the eligibility requirements of the SBA small business size standards.
- Local government entities operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural products.
- Tribal governments operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural products.
- Institutions such as schools, universities, or hospitals bringing producers together to establish cooperative or shared infrastructure or invest in equipment that will benefit multiple producers middle of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural product.
For-profit entities must meet the eligibility requirements of the SBA small business size standards matched to industries described in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). For more information on these size standards, please visit SBA’s Size Standards website. For a quick check on whether your business qualifies, please use the Size Standards Tool. All applicant businesses and organizations must be domestically owned, and applicants’ facilities must be physically located in New Hampshire. Applicants doing business along the state’s border or have locations in multiple states should only apply in one state to avoid duplication of federal funds. The USDA defines the middle of the food supply chain as activities that take place after the production of the agricultural product but before the product is sold to consumers. These activities include the processing, aggregation, and distribution of agricultural products between leaving the field and entering the marketplace. Therefore, grant funds cannot be used for cultivation, harvest, or retail marketing of eligible food products.
For more information, visit NHDAMF.
