17 Mar Funding Alert! Regional Food System Partnership Grants (RFSP)

United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Marketing Service

Is your organization part of a local or regional food system? Is your organization in the business of creating efficient partnerships to address needs within local food systems? If you answered yes to either question, then check out this great opportunity from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Regional Food System Partnership (RFSP) grants support partnerships that connect public and private resources to plan and develop local or regional food systems. Applications for this program are due May 16, 2022.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include producers, farmer or rancher cooperatives, producer networks or associations, minority-controlled producer-based business ventures, food councils, community-supported agriculture (CSA) networks or associations, local governments, non-profit organizations, public benefit corporations, economic development corporations, regional farmers market authorities, and tribal governments.

Applicants will work with their partners to catalyze the development of local or regional food systems. Eligible partners include state agencies or regional authorities, philanthropic corporations, private corporations, institutions of higher education, and commercial, federal, or farm credit system lending institutions.

What are the program goals?

The RFSP focuses on building and strengthening local or regional food economy viability and resilience, including pandemic response and recovery. Successful partnerships will bring a variety of financial and technical capabilities, demonstrate experience or readiness to work effectively and collaboratively with public and private entities across sectors, and present innovative, sustainable, and measurable approaches to achieving the project’s goals.

RFSP grant funds may be used for three types of programs:

• Planning and design projects that support partnerships in the early stages of convening, envisioning, and planning processes for developing local or regional food systems. Project activities include convening, feasibility studies and implementation plans, conducting market-specific research, connecting food value chain entities with partners and funders to engage in activities that strengthen the regional food system, and researching possible metrics to measure and evaluate work;
• Implementation and expansion projects that support partnerships building on prior or ongoing efforts within a local or regional food system. Project activities include creating innovative collaborations among value chain providers, institutionalizing processes for ongoing engagement to ensure sustainable approaches meet regional needs, and analyzing capital needs and gaps among food systems;
• Farm to institution projects that support public-private partnerships plan and develop relationships between local and regional producers, processors, intermediaries, and institutional markets or institutional food service operations. Project activities may include connecting eligible entities with institutional food operations to increase the availability of local food products on menus, developing business plans for establishing partnerships with local value chain providers, supporting food safety certification, and strengthening local food system capacity through community collaboration.

The funder expects to award 60 grants with a total award amount between $100,000 and $1 million over a 24- or 36-month project period. The three project areas have differing award ranges and project periods, review the full RFA for more information. The total available funding pool is approximately $40 million. The program requires a cost-share or match ratio of 3:1; matching contributions must be committed at the time an applicant is recommended for an award.

What makes a project a good fit?

The USDA encourages applications from partnerships engaging with smaller farms and ranches, new and beginning farmers and ranchers, underserved producers, veteran producers, and/or underserved communities. Applicants are encouraged to consider goals and activities related to reducing and stabilizing the levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases or adapting to the already occurring climate change in their project’s design and implementation. In addition, the USDA will prioritize projects that:

• 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; or
• Have multiple entities and partners (though such partners need not be based in the defined region).

What if I am ready to apply? To move your project forward, take the following action steps as soon as possible:

• Review the full RFSP request for application (RFA) additional details and review criteria;
• Explore the USDA’s frequently asked questions and resources document;
• Though not required, applicants may check with local state USDA offices to determine if there are additional local requirements or priorities;
• Explore this list of USDA reports, articles, and presentations specific to food value chains and food hubs; and
• Make sure your System for Award Management (SAM) registration is active and be sure you have a Grants.gov profile. You can check your SAM status here: https://sam.gov/content/status-tracker.

What if I need help with this application?

Contact Assel Grant Services (AGS) today! Our team can help with all aspects of preparing the application and managing the grant if you are awarded. If you would like to discuss this possibility, please contact AGS as soon as possible. Rosie Brennan, Community Engagement Specialist, will be happy to talk with you about this opportunity and provide you a quote for grant services.

What if I am not ready to apply this year?

Start preparing for next year! The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service office also has a variety of other programs and funding opportunities available that might be a good fit. The office’s website has ample resources and descriptions of available or upcoming opportunities.

How do I learn more about federal grant proposal writing, so my application is more likely to be successful?

AGS is excited to offer a Federal Grants Training Series in 2022! The series is designed to support nonprofit leaders before and during the application process. AGS also offers several on demand webinars on a variety of topics to support the full grant cycle. Check out our website to learn more and sign up for our training newsletter.

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