Contact: Allison Ross, [email protected]
This application period is now closed. We anticipate notifying applicants of the status of their applications in late July. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions.
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:
Eligible applicants must:
- be located and headquartered in Utah
- have no more than 100 employees
- source at least 51% of ingredients or product inputs from Utah-grown/raised products
- sell at least 51% of their products to Utah consumers
- be properly registered with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food and comply with all applicable food registration and inspection requirements. Note: products made under the Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act (HB181) are not eligible for this grant.
Meat/poultry processors wishing to apply must be either:
- A state-inspected “equal-to” slaughter and/or processing plant,
- A licensed custom-exempt plant,
- A Talmadge-Aiken (TA) or very small federally-inspected plant, or
- A USDA-inspected meat plant.
Eligible Expenses:
Eligible expenses may include processing, distribution, storage, cold storage, and packaging equipment. 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.
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)
- *Production expenses, including, but not limited to livestock, seeds, fertilizer, fencing, tractors, etc., are not eligible under this grant. Other 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 3, 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%
