USDA has provided a list of definitions for this program within Section 9.1 of the RFSI Program Scope and Requirements (below).
USDA has provided a list of definitions for this program within Section 9.1 of the RFSI Program Scope and Requirements (below).
We aren’t offering a simplified Equipment-Only Grant application at this time. The current round of funding, which opened in January 2024, is only for Infrastructure Grant projects between $100,000 and $3 million. If enough funding is available after the end of this round, we will do a separate Equipment-Only Grant round in early 2025. In the Equipment-Only round, grant awards will be capped at $100,000 with the same matching requirements as this round of Infrastructure Grants.
The RFSI program is funded by one-time federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). If funds remain after the 2024 Infrastructure Grants round, it’s possible that we may run a separate Equipment-Only Grant round in early 2025 (see above). Aside from that, this is one-time grant program that will not be offered again.
USDA has provided a list of definitions for this program within Section 9.1 of the RFSI Program Scope and Requirements (below).
Yes. We recorded the February 28 webinar and it’s available to view on YouTube. There’s also a transcript (PDF) of the webinar.
Organizational eligibility
Yes, new businesses and organizations are eligible to apply. You must be incorporated as an entity and registered with the Minnesota Secretary of State (when required for your entity type), although you do not need to be fully operational. You must be far enough into the development of your start-up business to be able to clearly describe your business readiness, financial viability, goals for the project, and how your project meets the grant’s goals. Additionally, you must have the internal capacity to be able to effectively manage federal grant funds and reporting requirements.
Yes, new businesses and organizations are eligible to apply. You must be incorporated as an entity and registered with the Minnesota Secretary of State (when required for your entity type), although you do not need to be fully operational. You must be far enough into the development of your start-up business to be able to clearly describe your business readiness, financial viability, goals for the project, and how your project meets the grant’s goals. Additionally, you must have the internal capacity to be able to effectively manage federal grant funds and reporting requirements.
In most cases, farmers’ markets are not eligible applicants because their activities and services typically focus on providing food directly to consumers and occur at the end of the food supply chain rather than the middle. A farmers’ market could only be eligible if the proposed scope for the project was different from their typical services (e.g., a weekly market), and the project solely focused on middle-of-the-food-supply-chain activities. An example of an eligible project from a farmers’ market would be a group of producers working together and operating under the umbrella of the local farmers’ market to create new market opportunities for themselves by building a new shared processing facility to process their produce.
In most cases, farmers’ markets are not eligible applicants because their activities and services typically focus on providing food directly to consumers and occur at the end of the food supply chain rather than the middle. A farmers’ market could only be eligible if the proposed scope for the project was different from their typical services (e.g., a weekly market), and the project solely focused on middle-of-the-food-supply-chain activities. An example of an eligible project from a farmers’ market would be a group of producers working together and operating under the umbrella of the local farmers’ market to create new market opportunities for themselves by building a new shared processing facility to process their produce.
In most cases, grocery stores, food cooperatives, restaurants, or other food businesses primarily focused on retail are not eligible because their activities and services focus on providing food directly to consumers and occur at the end of the food supply chain rather than the middle. The eligibility of projects proposed by these types of applicants would depend on the nature of the product being produced. A project focused on creating products or consumer packaged goods intended for later consumption could be eligible. A project focused on products, even packaged goods, intended for immediate consumption would not be eligible.
For example, a grocery cooperative could apply for a project to develop a commercial kitchen to lightly process local vegetables into a frozen, bagged product, but could not apply for a commercial kitchen to process local vegetables into items for the deli or hot bar. If the commercial kitchen would serve both functions, the applicant may only apply for the relevant portion of the funds for the kitchen based on the percentage of time the kitchen would be used for processing and other-middle-of-the-supply-chain activities and not for the percentage of time for preparation of food intended for immediate consumption and other end-of-the-supply-chain activities.
Another example: A restaurant could apply for a project to enter a new market by processing local tomatoes into a bottled shelf-stable ketchup product to be distributed to retail and wholesale markets, but not to process local tomatoes into ketchup to serve in their restaurant.
In most cases, grocery stores, food cooperatives, restaurants, or other food businesses primarily focused on retail are not eligible because their activities and services focus on providing food directly to consumers and occur at the end of the food supply chain rather than the middle. The eligibility of projects proposed by these types of applicants would depend on the nature of the product being produced. A project focused on creating products or consumer packaged goods intended for later consumption could be eligible. A project focused on products, even packaged goods, intended for immediate consumption would not be eligible.
For example, a grocery cooperative could apply for a project to develop a commercial kitchen to lightly process local vegetables into a frozen, bagged product, but could not apply for a commercial kitchen to process local vegetables into items for the deli or hot bar. If the commercial kitchen would serve both functions, the applicant may only apply for the relevant portion of the funds for the kitchen based on the percentage of time the kitchen would be used for processing and other-middle-of-the-supply-chain activities and not for the percentage of time for preparation of food intended for immediate consumption and other end-of-the-supply-chain activities.
Another example: A restaurant could apply for a project to enter a new market by processing local tomatoes into a bottled shelf-stable ketchup product to be distributed to retail and wholesale markets, but not to process local tomatoes into ketchup to serve in their restaurant.