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Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP)

Link

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/lfpp

Additional Links

Fact Sheet
Notice of Funding Opportunity (Grants.gov)

Deadline

Application Deadline: May 14, 2024

Sponsor

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Purpose

Provides grant funding for projects that develop, coordinate, and expand local and regional food business enterprises serving as intermediaries in indirect producer-to-consumer marketing to increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced food and agricultural products.

LFPP activities and focuses include:

• Support the processing, aggregation, distribution, and storage of locally and regionally produced and marketed agricultural products, including value-added agricultural products
• Encouraging development of value-added agricultural products
• Assistance with business development plans and feasibility studies
• Developing marketing strategies for producers of local food and value-added products
• Facilitating regional food chains and developing mid-tier value chains
• Reducing on-farm food waste through the promotion of new business opportunities and marketing strategies
• Responding to changing technology needs in indirect producer-to-consumer marketing
• Paying expenses related to food safety certification and improvements to food safety equipment and practices

Grants are awarded for the following project types:

1. Planning projects to support the planning stages of developing, coordinating, or expanding a food business that will support local and regional agricultural products and food system infrastructure. Projects include but are not limited to:
   • Feasibility studies providing analysis for new intermediary food channels, including their market potential, capacity, and potential regional competitors and partners
   • Hiring experts for technical assistance to implement local/regional food transportation systems
   • Hiring experts for management training for local/regional food storage or processing facilities
   • Developing business development plans for the processing and marketing of local/regional agricultural products, including value-added agricultural products
2. Implementation projects to establish, improve, or expand new food businesses or market channels that will support local and regional agricultural products and food system infrastructure. Projects include but are not limited to:
   • Developing and expanding food incubator programs and mid-tier value chains
   • Connecting, cultivating, and strengthening relationships between local and regional producers and local and regional food businesses and consumer-facing markets
   • Instituting group-based Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certification to increase opportunities for farmers to sell produce into institutional or wholesale marketing channels
   • Identifying and implementing more cost-effective transportation, such as backhaul, route optimization, or other efficiencies
   • Cultivating new local and regional wholesale market channels through an online portal or virtual marketplace
   • Investigating and implementing more cost-effective means of transportation for food supply chains through backhaul, route optimization, and/or other operational efficiencies
3. Farm to Institution projects to support the development, coordination, and expansion of institutional markets or institutional food service operations. Includes planning and facilitating supply chains, and developing relationships between local and regional producers, processors, intermediaries, and institutional markets or institutional food services operations Projects include but are not limited to:
   • Supporting aggregation, processing, distribution, and storage of local and regional food products by increasing the availability of local food products on the menu of institutional food service operations
   • Connecting, cultivating, and strengthening relationships between local and regional producers and local and regional food businesses that engage as intermediaries with local institutional markets
   • Developing business plans and strategies to include and expand local food products, including value-added local agricultural products, in institutional settings and local and regional food system infrastructure
   • Obtaining food safety certification and improvements to food safety practices to meet institutional requirements
4. Turnkey Marketing and Promotion projects to support a streamlined approach to some of the most common LFPP grant activities related to the marketing and promotion of local and regional food projects. Applicant must select 3 of the following activities:
   • Identify and analyze new or improved market opportunities
   • Develop or revise a marketing plan
   • Design or purchase marketing and promotion media
   • Implement a marketing plan
   • Evaluate marketing and promotion activities

Amount of Funding

Award ceiling:

• $250,000 for Planning projects
• $750,000 for Implementation projects
• $750,000 for Farm to Institution projects
• $100,000 for Turnkey Marketing and Promotion projects

Award floor:

• $25,000 for Planning projects
• $100,000 for Implementation projects
• $100,000 for Farm to Institution projects
• $50,000 for Turnkey Marketing and Promotion projects

Project period:

• 24 months for Planning and Turnkey Marketing and Promotion projects
• 36 months for Implementation and Farm to Institution projects

Estimated total program funding: $61,800,000

Matching funds are required for a portion of the project. Applicants must provide a matching contribution equal to 25% of the total grant award. Matching funds can be cash and/or in-kind contributions and must be from non-federal sources. Additional information regarding matching funds requirements and funding sources for this opportunity can be found in the application instructions.

Who Can Apply

Applications may be submitted by domestic entities owned, operated, and located within the U.S. states or territories. Eligible applicants include:

• Agricultural businesses or cooperatives
• Producer networks or associations
• Community-supported agriculture (CSA) networks or associations
• Food councils
• Local governments
• Nonprofit corporations
• Public benefit corporations
• Economic development corporations
• Regional farmers market authorities
• Tribal governments

Priority consideration is given to projects located in low income or low food access (LI/LA) census tracts. Use the 4 map layers of the USDA Food Access Research Atlas to determine if an address is in a LI/LA census tract.

Geographic Coverage

Nationwide

What This Program Funds

Capacity Building • Equipment • Starting a Business

Application Process

Application instructions, requirements, and other information can be found on the program website.

Applicant frequently asked questions

Contact

For programmatic or technical questions:
FMLFPPGrants@usda.gov

Rural Awards

Past awards communities received in fiscal year 2024 can be found on the program website.

Rural communities who have received funding include:

• Willing Hands Enterprises in Norwich, Vermont was awarded a grant to recover surplus healthy food from grocery stores, wholesalers, and farms and deliver it to more than 85 social service organizations across the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire. It also offers local farmers a new market opportunity through the Give Local Food program.
• In Her Shoes, Inc. in Webb, Mississippi received funding to facilitate capacity building and market integration support for more than 30 small locally owned and operated farm businesses by providing training, technical assistance, and support to access new markets, with the goal of increasing the businesses sustainability and expanding access to fresh produce in rural areas of the Mississippi Delta.
• ChopLocal, Inc. in Wayland, Iowa used funds to to increase and improve marketing efforts by hiring a dedicated marketing specialist, revising and implementing a marketing plan, improving search engine optimization, and performing web development to maximize order size and order frequency, which will increase sales by 25% per year for the Chop Local online farmers market for meat.

Topics This Program Addresses

Community Planning and Coalition Building • Economic Development • Health and Wellness