The Washington State Department of Agriculture is seeking applications for the Local Food System Infrastructure Grant program to support local food supply chains and market access for farms, ranches, food processors, and food distributors.
Donor Name: Washington State Department of Agriculture
State: Washington
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/17/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
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.
Funding Priorities
This is a competitive grant. Applications will be evaluated and scored based on alignment with the grant purpose, to support local food supply chains and market access for farms, ranches, food processors, and food distributors. Project evaluation categories include:
- Regional Food System Impact
- Achievability
- Reasonable Proposed Budget and Benefits
Additional bonus points will be awarded to:
- Applicants who have received less than $75,000 in awards from WSDA Regional Markets grants in the past three (3) years.
- Small farms, ranches, and food businesses.
Funding Information
- In the Spring 2024 round, WSDA anticipates awarding approximately $2 million in grants.
- Rapid and Ready grants ($10,000 up to $75,000): Rapid & Ready grants are for straightforward projects and equipment purchases that can be completed on a relatively short timeline. Proposed projects that involve construction or building improvements should have current quotes from contractors and clear plans for all necessary building permits. Applicants should have up-front funds in place to start and finish a reimbursement style grant within a short timeline.
Allowable Costs
Grant expenses must directly support the grant purpose to improve local food supply chains and market access for farms, ranches, food processors, or food distributors. This includes planning, equipment, and facilities that support on-farm post-harvest handling, aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, distribution, and sale of locally and regionally produced food products.
- Facility improvements must comply with all applicable license and permit requirements by the state, county, or other local jurisdiction.
- No self-dealing in contracting or purchasing of goods and services is allowed.
- Applicants who rent their facilities must ensure approval for the project from the facility owner.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
OR
- 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 otherwise directly enabling their access to markets within Washington. This grant may not be used for sub-awards or pass-through funding.
For more information, visit WSDA.
