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Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP)

Link

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

Additional Links

Fact Sheet
Notice of Funding Opportunity (Grants.gov)

Deadline

Application Deadline: May 14, 2024

Sponsor

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Purpose

Awards grant funds to develop partnerships connecting public and private resources for the purpose of planning and developing local and regional food systems. Supports partnerships to improve viability and resilience of the local or regional food economy.

Program responsibilities include:

Determining the size and scope of the local or regional food system for the project
Coordinating with USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and providing technical assistance
Conducting outreach and education for potential partners and program participants

Grants are awarded for the 2 project types:

Planning and Design projects engage partnerships in early stage planning activities to develop local and regional food systems. Planning efforts involve determining project goals, outreach, objectives, and eligible activities, with an emphasis on identifying public and private collaborators with diverse non-federal financial and technical resources. Project activities include but are not limited to:
- Convening partners to define the scope and structure of the regional food system, share opportunities and challenges, and develop inclusive approaches to address challenges and improve connection and success across the regional food system
- Creating and conducting feasibility studies and data-driven implementation plans
- Conducting research on specific market, mid-tier value chain, or infrastructure investments to prioritize next steps at the local, regional, state, or tribal government level
- Connecting food value chains with partners/funders to improve the regional food system
- Measuring and evaluating the partnership's early development work and using results to establish performance benchmarks for meeting the project goals
Implementation and Expansion projects support partnerships that have completed most or all the activities discussed for Planning and Design projects to build on prior or ongoing improvement efforts within a local or regional food system. Project goals and activities should align with previous food system work, engage with other committed entities, and maintain a diverse public-private network. Projects include but are not limited to:
- Creating value chains where producers, manufacturers, buyers, and other related actors form collaborative, transparent partnerships with shared operational values and social mission goals
- Developing processes for ongoing engagement with the community and businesses
- Analyzing capital needs and gaps and identifying resources to support the regional food system
- Identifying resources for food system enterprises and providing technical assistance for partners and stakeholders, and applying for programs and resources that align with regional food system efforts

Amount of Funding

Award ceiling:

$250,000 for Planning and Design projects
$1,000,000 for Implementation and Expansion projects

Award floor:

$100,000 for Planning and Design projects
$250,000 for Implementation and Expansion projects

Project period:

24 months for Planning and Design projects
36 months for Implementation and Expansion projects

Estimated total program funding: $4,500,000

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

Applicants must be domestic entities owned, operated, and located within the U.S. or territories. Applications may be submitted by either an eligible entity or an eligible partner on behalf of the partnership.

Eligible entities include:

Agricultural producers
Farmer or rancher cooperatives
Producer networks or associations
Majority-controlled producer-based business ventures
Food councils
Community-supported agriculture (CSA) networks or associations
Local governments
Nonprofit corporations
Public benefit corporations
Economic development corporations
Regional farmers market authorities
Tribal governments

Eligible partners include:

State agencies or regional authorities
Philanthropic corporations
Private corporations
Institutions of higher education
Commercial, federal, or farm credit system lending institutions

Priority consideration is given to projects that meet 1 of the following criteria:

Leverage significant non-federal financial and technical resources and coordinate with other local, state, tribal, or national efforts
Cover an area that includes distressed low-income rural or urban communities with areas of persistent poverty that provide significant opportunities for high impact investment as determined by a “distressed “or “at-risk” score on the Distressed Communities Index (DCI)
Have multiple entities and project partners, which can be based within or outside of the defined partnership region

Partnerships that include organizations engaging and providing technical assistance services to historically underserved farmers and ranchers to address their needs are strongly encouraged to apply.

Geographic Coverage

Nationwide

What This Program Funds

Capacity Building

Application Process

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

Applicant webinar recording
Passcode: 6feuUHg?
Applicant frequently asked questions

Contact

For programmatic or technical questions:
IPPGrants@usda.gov

Rural Awards

Past awards communities received in fiscal year 2023 can be found on the program website.

One rural example of funding is the NorthEast Washington Education Service District 101 located in northeastern Washington. The school service district received funding to support 22 small, rural School Food Authorities, and their partners, working to establish a RFSP to strengthen their school meal programs.

Topics This Program Addresses

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