Regional Food System Partnership (RFSP)

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The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service offers grants to support partnerships that connect public and private resources to plan and develop local and regional food systems.

There are 2 types of projects. Potential project activities include:

Planning and design projects:

• Bringing together partners to define the scope and structure of the regional food system, share opportunities and challenges, and develop engaged approaches to address challenges and improve connection and success across the regional food system
• Conducting feasibility studies and data-driven implementation plans that achieve measurable goals for the partnership's work in developing the regional food system
• Researching specific market, mid-tier value chain, or infrastructure investments to help prioritize next steps at the local, regional, state, or tribal government level, which includes studies analyzing the capital needs or gaps of the regional food system
• Connecting food value chain entities with partners and funders to collaborate and engage in activities that strengthen the regional food system
• Developing metrics and benchmarks to measure and evaluate the partnership's early development work for achieving partnership goals

Implementation and expansion projects:

• Creating value chains where producers, manufacturers, buyers, and other related actors form collaborative, transparent partnerships share a commitment to operational values and social mission goals
• Developing systems or processes for ongoing community and business engagement including information sharing to provide a forum for ideas, concerns, and updates across the regional food system
• Analyzing regional capital needs and gaps and identifying resources to support implementation activities
• Helping food system enterprises find resources, providing technical assistance to partners and stakeholders, and applying for programs and resources that align with regional food system efforts, including other Local Agriculture Market Program goals or capital investments

Priority consideration will be given to applications that demonstrate one or more of the following:

• Use significant non-federal financial and technical resources and work together with other local, state, Tribal, or national efforts
• Serve areas that include distressed low-income rural or urban communities with persistent poverty
• Involve multiple entities and partners, even if such partners are not located within the defined region of the partnership

Eligible applicants include:

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

Planning and design:

• Award ceiling: $250,000
• Award floor: $100,000
• Project period: 24 months

Implementation and expansion:

• Award ceiling: $1,000,000
• Award floor: $250,000
• Project period: 36 months

Estimated number of awards: 10

A 25% cash or in-kind match from non-federal sources is required.

Links to the full announcement, application instructions, and the online application process are available through grants.gov.