How to Navigate USDA Funding for your Food & Farm Business

A list of resources highlighting some of the many opportunities available for funding your food and farm business through the USDA.

RESOURCES:

USDA Programs in the Local Food Supply Chain

• Peruse the variety of programs available through the USDA. Each listing is hyperlinked to the main project page.

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Local Food Research and Development

• Review recent research and publications, local food directories, and additional projects by the USDA.

Local Food System Response to COVID-19

• Access resources, impact assessments, innovation briefs, and webinar recordings curated by a diverse collective of local and regional food system stakeholders working to document and disseminate innovations and best practices to improve the COVID-19 response. 

The Economics of Local Food 

• A community of practice that helps individuals and communities understand agriculture and food enterprise viability, market dynamics and other key socio-economic metrics of local and regional food systems. Learn more about projects such as the Economics of Local Food Systems Toolkit, Local Food Impact Calculator, and Farm to Institution Metrics.

Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) 

• The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners that offer value-added contributions to expand our collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns.

Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG)

• The Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program supports the development of new tools, approaches, practices, and technologies to further natural resource conservation on private lands. CIG partners work to address water quality, air quality, soil health, and wildlife habitat challenges while improving agricultural operations.

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Grants

• The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service works to improve domestic and international opportunities for U.S. growers and producers. Explore grant programs including: Farmers Market Promotion Program, Local Food Promotion Program, and Regional Food System Partnerships Program.  

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Wholesale Market and Facility Design

• The Wholesale Market and Facility Design team provides no-cost technical assistance and support to stakeholders regarding the construction of new structures or the remodeling of existing ones. Learn more about their services.

Urban Agriculture Grants and Engagement Opportunities

• Urban agriculture generally refers to the cultivation, processing and distribution of agricultural products in urban and suburban settings, including things like vertical production, warehouse farms, community gardens, rooftop farms, hydroponic, aeroponic, and aquaponic facilities, and other innovations.

Agricultural Management Assistance

• AMA is NRCS NY’s signature urban agriculture program to assist producers to plan and implement practices that conserve natural resources and help farmers increase productivity. Examples of practices include: irrigation efficiencies, seasonal extension with high tunnels, composting, and pollinator plantings.

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Organic Initiative

• EQIP is similar to AMA but is more competitive. Producers receive financial and technical assistance to implement structural and management conservation practices that optimize environmental benefits on farmland. The EQIP Organic initiative offers programs to certified  organic and transition to organic providing a slightly higher payment rate.

Conservation Stewardship Program

• CSP is similar to EQIP and AMA except participants are typically established farms and will receive an annual land use payment for operation-level environmental benefits they produce and are paid for extending current conservation performance.

The USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production

• They offer competitive grants for planning and implementation of urban agriculture projects and competitive cooperative agreements to municipalities for community compost and food waste reduction projects.

The Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement

• The Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement develops and maintains partnerships focused on solutions to challenges facing rural and underserved communities in the United States, and connects those communities to the education, tools, and resources available to them through U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and initiatives. We facilitate partnerships and offer education and resources to foster hope and opportunity, wealth creation, and asset building in rural and underserved communities.

www.grants.gov

• Provides a variety of resources to guide the grant writing process​

Value-Added Producer Grants

• The Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program helps agricultural producers enter into value-added activities related to the processing and marketing of new products. The goals of this program are to generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities and increase producer income.

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Loan and Grant Program

• This program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing.

Cooperative Development Technical Assistance

• Cooperative Services foster and sustain the uniquely resilient and flexible structure of cooperatives. They strive to help rural residents form new cooperatives and improve the operations of existing ones. Visit this page to learn more about assistance in your region.

Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR)

• SBIR offers competitively awarded grants to qualified small businesses to support high quality research related to important scientific problems and opportunities in agriculture that could lead to significant public benefits. The program stimulates technological innovations in the private sector and strengthens the role of federal research and development in support of small businesses. 

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

• DARPA pursues opportunities for transformational change rather than incremental advances by supporting diverse performers from throughout the ecosystem to apply multi-disciplinary approaches to both advance knowledge through basic research and create innovative technologies that address current and predicted practical problems through applied research.

Office of Naval Research (ONR)

• ONR aligns research to framework priorities, allocates investment portfolios and accelerates decision-making to speed business execution that will enable the future operational concepts of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. 

Additional Resources:

Webinar Recording - December 10, 2020