Contact: Allison Ross, [email protected]
UDAF is currently accepting applications for this grant. Applications will close at 11:59pm on June 8, 2025. Click the button below to apply.
Background:
The Utah Food Security Grant (UFSG) was created in 2022 with a $1 million appropriation from the Utah State Legislature. With these funds, UDAF issued grants to Utah-based businesses to increase processing capacity of agricultural products produced in the state. UDAF received additional funding to continue this program during the 2023 – 2025 legislative sessions.
The purpose of this program is to address Utah’s severe infrastructure shortfalls to increase the local processing capacity of Utah-grown agricultural products and increase consumer access to locally produced food.
Grant Information:
The UFSG covers expenses including processing equipment, coolers/freezers, contractor costs (plumbing, draining, electrical work), portion cutters, slaughter equipment, sorting equipment, bottling equipment, etc.
Individual grant awards will be capped at $200,000. 50% of the funds will be set aside for meat and poultry processing. $20,000 will be held for microgrants of $5,000 or less.
Please be aware that this year, a minimum 25% cost match will be required. On the application, you will report the total cost of the project you are applying for. UDAF will reimburse awarded projects up to 75% of that cost. Applicants that are able to provide a 50% match will receive 10 extra preference points.
Eligibility Requirements:
Grants of up to $200,000 are available to processors located in Utah with no more than 100 employees who use at least 51% of ingredients or product inputs that were grown/raised in Utah, or that sell at least 51% of their products to Utah consumers.
Meat/poultry processors wishing to apply must be either:
- A state-inspected “equal-to” slaughter and/or processing plant,
- A licensed custom-exempt slaughter plant, or
- A Talmadge-Aiken (TA) or very small federally inspected plant.
- A USDA inspected meat plant
Eligible expenses must make an immediate impact on the state’s capacity to process or store Utah-raised protein or Utah-grown products including beef, dairy, pork, eggs, poultry, lamb, bison, fruit, vegetables, honey, etc. Reimbursement amounts are based on the applicable and reasonable project costs.
Reimbursement will be up to the amount stated in the contract and will require actual or copies of receipts, expenses, paid invoices and/or checks.
Eligible Expenses:
May include, but are not limited to: 
- Coolers/freezers
- Portion cutters
- Processing equipment (smoking units, sausage stuffers, etc.)
- Slaughter equipment (cradles, saws, hooks, scalders, sinks, etc.)
- Electronic sorting equipment (e.g. grading and sizing for apples, cherries, or peaches)
- Bottling equipment for juices
- Contractor costs (plumbing, draining, venting, electrical work)
- *Expenses not eligible for reimbursement include salaries, fringe, research, land purchases, and unrelated supplies and parts.
Important Dates:
- Public Comment Period: April 1 – 14, 2025
- Applications Open: May 1, 2025
- Applications Close: June 8, 2025
- Application Review Period: June – July 2025
- Awards Announced: Late July 2025
- Contracts signed and completed: July 2025
- Project Start Date: July 2025
Q&A Session Registration Links:
- May 7, 2025 from 6-8pm: REGISTER HERE
- June 4, 2025 from 11am-1pm: REGISTER HERE
Documents:
Utah Food Security Request for Applications
Utah Food Security Grant Fact Sheet
Utah Food Security Grant Ranking Criteria
Food Security Grant Recipient Map
Video: Learn About The Utah Food Security Grant
Program Successes:
- A Wasatch County cheesemaker increased their processing capacity by 1,000lbs/week
- A Rich County produce processor increased their production by 200%
- A Utah County produce processor increased their packing capacity 80%
- A Weber County processor increased production by over 800 beef and 300 pigs annually
- A Utah County produce processor increased freezer storage capacity by 900%
