The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service recently announced a record amount of funding for several of their key grant programs:
So how do I figure out if one of these is right for my organization/project? For FMPP and LFPP, USDA has provided a decision tree to help guide you. You can find the decision tree here. It is important to note that all of them require that projects benefit more than one producer and/or more than one food business.
FMPP and LFPP focus on funding one step above individual farmers, helping promote the sales of local products through a single project. RFSP focuses on funding at the partnership level to bring multiple projects together to create more opportunities for partnership and support in a region. All three of these programs require that you have your ducks in a row, from planning a project to partners, subgrants, tracking outcomes, and accounting. If you have never managed federal funds, you should think about whether your organization has the capacity to do so. For FMPP/LFPP, smaller organizations may choose to use a fiscal sponsor, who can lift some of this burden. Since RFSP entities are expected to be more experienced, they cannot use a fiscal sponsor.
All applications will compete on a national level. To be competitive, you must allocate a substantial amount of time to cultivating partnerships, acquiring letters of support, completing the necessary grant registrations, and drafting the application. This may sound like a lot, and it is, but we’re here to assist you along the way.
KCARD can help you in determining the best funding program for your project and assist in the application process. For assistance, please contact us at 859-550-3972 or via email at kcard@kcard.info. In addition, the CSA Innovations Network is offering free, one-on-one support to organizations as well. To sign up, visit CSA-IN Technical Assistance Support.