Match
To verify the match for your grant project, you must submit a match verification letter signed by each individual or organization providing in-kind or cash matching contributions for your project. We’ve provided the required template for these letters as a download on our RFSI web page. As part of the Project Readiness section of the application, you may also choose to include letters of support from business or financial contacts that can attest to your business and financial readiness and your organization’s capacity to provide the match you are committing.
Funds must be either committed or secured at the time an applicant is recommended for an award. You are not required to have the full match amount in-hand at that time. If you receive an RFSI grant, you will be required provide documentation when requesting reimbursement from the grant to verify both in-kind and cash match contributions have been provided according to the budget provided as part of your application.
To verify the match for your grant project, you must submit a match verification letter signed by each individual or organization providing in-kind or cash matching contributions for your project. We’ve provided the required template for these letters as a download on our RFSI web page. As part of the Project Readiness section of the application, you may also choose to include letters of support from business or financial contacts that can attest to your business and financial readiness and your organization’s capacity to provide the match you are committing.
Funds must be either committed or secured at the time an applicant is recommended for an award. You are not required to have the full match amount in-hand at that time. If you receive an RFSI grant, you will be required provide documentation when requesting reimbursement from the grant to verify both in-kind and cash match contributions have been provided according to the budget provided as part of your application.
You may obtain a loan for your project before applying for and receiving this grant. If you plan to use the loan to cover the matching part of your project, you might want to start working with a lender now, because all matching funds must be committed or secured at the time an applicant is recommended for an award.
Even if you obtain a loan now, we cannot reimburse any expenses that happen before the start of the grant contract agreement, nor can you use these expenses as part of your match contribution. Do not make any purchases or spend any funds you plan to include in your grant project or utilize as a matching contribution before all parties have signed your grant contract agreement.
For example, if you buy a piece of equipment with a loan before the start of the grant contract agreement, it’s not eligible to be reimbursed through the grant, nor can it be counted as part of your matching contribution.
You may obtain a loan for your project before applying for and receiving this grant. If you plan to use the loan to cover the matching part of your project, you might want to start working with a lender now, because all matching funds must be committed or secured at the time an applicant is recommended for an award.
Even if you obtain a loan now, we cannot reimburse any expenses that happen before the start of the grant contract agreement, nor can you use these expenses as part of your match contribution. Do not make any purchases or spend any funds you plan to include in your grant project or utilize as a matching contribution before all parties have signed your grant contract agreement.
For example, if you buy a piece of equipment with a loan before the start of the grant contract agreement, it’s not eligible to be reimbursed through the grant, nor can it be counted as part of your matching contribution.
Nonprofits and cooperatives will qualify for reduced match based on the composition of their board or governing body. To be eligible, the majority of the board’s members must be eligible for reduced match under one or more of the qualifying categories described on page 9 of the RFP. Eligibility for reduced match is not based on the population(s) the organization serves.
For example, a nonprofit may qualify for reduced match under the women-owned business category if 51% or more of their voting board members are women, or a cooperative may qualify for reduced match if its nine-member board is made up of four board members who are socially disadvantaged producers and two board members who are women (six out of nine members belong to a qualifying category).
If your cooperative business, like other types of businesses, can demonstrate that 51% or more of your cooperative is owned by members who are eligible for reduced match, that may also be used as the basis for the cooperative to qualify for reduced match.
Nonprofits and cooperatives will qualify for reduced match based on the composition of their board or governing body. To be eligible, the majority of the board’s members must be eligible for reduced match under one or more of the qualifying categories described on page 9 of the RFP. Eligibility for reduced match is not based on the population(s) the organization serves.
For example, a nonprofit may qualify for reduced match under the women-owned business category if 51% or more of their voting board members are women, or a cooperative may qualify for reduced match if its nine-member board is made up of four board members who are socially disadvantaged producers and two board members who are women (six out of nine members belong to a qualifying category).
If your cooperative business, like other types of businesses, can demonstrate that 51% or more of your cooperative is owned by members who are eligible for reduced match, that may also be used as the basis for the cooperative to qualify for reduced match.
RFSI is federally funded through a cooperative agreement with USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service. Unlike most grants administered by the MDA, you may use grant funds from another state grant as matching funds for this program. Funds from other state, local, or private grants may be used as matching funds, so long as those funds are not from another federal pass-through grant (such as a Specialty Crop Block Grant) and aren’t committed to another grant as matching funds. Federal grants or funds from any source cannot be used as match.
Note: If you plan to use funds from a state grant or loan to meet all or part of your project’s matching requirement — and if your project involves construction — the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry will need to evaluate your project to determine if state prevailing wage requirements will apply.
RFSI is federally funded through a cooperative agreement with USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service. Unlike most grants administered by the MDA, you may use grant funds from another state grant as matching funds for this program. Funds from other state, local, or private grants may be used as matching funds, so long as those funds are not from another federal pass-through grant (such as a Specialty Crop Block Grant) and aren’t committed to another grant as matching funds. Federal grants or funds from any source cannot be used as match.
Note: If you plan to use funds from a state grant or loan to meet all or part of your project’s matching requirement — and if your project involves construction — the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry will need to evaluate your project to determine if state prevailing wage requirements will apply.
No additional priority is given to applications that include more matching funds than the 50% match requirement or 25% reduced match requirement for qualifying applicants. Even if you plan to spend more than the required matching amount for your project (i.e., “overmatching”), we recommend you only include the required matching amount for the application budget. If you voluntarily provide a match above the program’s requirement in your application, the total becomes a binding requirement in your grant contract agreement.
