Contact: Allison Ross, aross@utah.gov
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.
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.
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.
Applicants Must Choose One of Two Grant Types:
- Infrastructure Grants of $100,000 to $750,000. Grant recipients are required to contribute 50% of the total proposed project cost as a match to federal funding. For historically underserved farmers and ranchers, or for other businesses that qualify under SBA categories of small disadvantaged business, women-owned small business, or veteran-owned small business, the required match funding is reduced to 25%. Infrastructure grant funds may be used for improvements, rearrangements, or alterations of an existing building or facility to use a space more effectively and to accommodate new or upgraded equipment and processes. Funds may also be used for new construction of buildings or structural changes to an existing building/ facility resulting in a square foot expansion or requiring changes to the building’s floor, foundation, and exterior or load bearing walls. Purchases of special purpose vehicles relevant to the scope of work on an Infrastructure Grant, such as delivery vehicles or refrigerated trucks are allowable. Funds may not be used to purchase new buildings, facilities, or land. Purchases of general use vehicles are not allowable.
- Simplified Equipment-only Grants of $10,000 to $100,000; no cost-match 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.
*If you have questions about which grant option is best for you, please contact Allison Ross at aross@utah.gov.
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.
The grant application window closed on March 31, 2024.
Important Dates:
- Public Comment Period: August 11 – August 18, 2024
- Applications Open: February 7, 2024
- Application Close Date: March 31, 2024 at 11:59pm
- Application Review Period: April 2024
- Awards Provisionally Announced: May 2024
- Final USDA Award Approval: June 2024
- Contracts signed and completed: July 2024
- Project Start Date: July 2024
Important Documents:
- Match Verification Letter
- Critical Resource Infrastructure Letter
- Guide to Getting a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number
- RFA – Request for Applications Document
- 2024 RFSI Scoring Sheet
