Contact: Allison Ross, [email protected]
The grant application window closed on July 31, 2025. The below dates are pending USDA’s project review and approval timeline.
The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) was awarded $3,043,040 through the USDA AMS Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program. The purpose of the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program is to build resilience in the middle of the food supply chain, to provide more and better markets to small farms and food businesses, to support the development of value-added products for consumers, fair prices, fair wages, and new and safe job opportunities. In this second round of applications, UDAF has over $500,000 to award.
Through this program UDAF will be issuing competitive sub-award grants to support the development of the middle-of-the-supply-chain for Utah-based food and farm businesses. Grant projects may include activities that support the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transportation, wholesaling, and distribution of locally and regionally produced food products. Eligible food products include dairy, grains for human consumption, fruits and vegetables, aquaculture, and other food products. Meat and poultry, wild-caught seafood, exclusively animal feed and forage products, fiber, landscaping products, tobacco, or dietary supplements are all ineligible products for this grant.
Eligibility:
To be eligible to apply, entities must be headquartered in Utah, have at least 50% of their product (including ingredients/product inputs) grown or raised in Utah, and NOT have received federal funding already for the specific activity for which they are seeking funding. Meat and poultry products and activities are not eligible for this grant. More information can be found in the Request for Applications document.
Simplified Equipment-only Grants will be offered from $10,000 to $100,000. No cost-match is required. These grants are reimbursement-based, meaning that entities will purchase the equipment first and then be reimbursed. Entities must wait for approval before purchasing the equipment. Awards may only be used for equipment purchases. The equipment can be used or new, however, related installation/shipping/setup costs are reimbursable only if they are included with the cost of purchasing. If they are separate costs, then they are ineligible. Funds may not be used for food production activities, including farm equipment, tools, supplies, gardening, or production related labor/training. However, on-farm post-harvest processing, preservation, and storage/cold storage are allowable activities. Awardees should be prepared to make their purchases immediately upon contracts being signed. Applicants should be prepared to demonstrate in the application what their plan is to have the funds available to make their purchases before the end of the year. All purchases must be made by December 15, 2025 at the very latest. No exceptions can be made and no extensions will be offered.
Important: UEI Number Required
Grant applicants must have an active UEI to be able to submit their application. Unique Entity Identifiers can be acquired free-of-charge from the federal government through SAM.gov. This process can take some time, so applicants are strongly encouraged to begin the process quickly, and not to wait until the last week as it is unlikely the UEI will be assigned in time. A guide to getting a UEI is in the Relevant Documents section.
Informational Documents:
- Guide to Getting a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number
- RFA – Request for Applications Document
- 2025 RFSI Score Sheet
Important Dates:
- Public Comment Period: August 11 – August 18, 2024
- Applications Open: July 3, 2025
- Office Hours: July 10 at 11am – MEETING LINK
- Office Hours: July 29 at 6pm – MEETING LINK
- Application Close Date: July 31, 2025 at 11:59pm
- Application Review Period: August 2025
- Awards Provisionally Announced: early September 2025
- Final USDA Award Approval: September 2025
- Contracts signed and completed: September 2025
- Project Start Date: September 2025
- Project Completion: December 15, 2025
