The Farm and Food Growth Fund (FFGF) is the administrator for a portion of New York State’s Department of Agriculture and Markets USDA Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) grant program with a focus on enhancing, growing and improving the mid-channel of the food supply chain.
Donor Name: Farm and Food Growth Fund (FFGF)
State: New York
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 06/28/2024
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Funded under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) of 2021, and with allocations made to all 50 states plus districts and commonwealths, the goals are to expand each state’s middle-chain capacity and infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of targeted local and regional agricultural food products. Meat, poultry, cannabis, animal food and forage, fiber, and wild caught seafood products are not considered under this program.
The RFSI program will make infrastructure awards to businesses and organizations operating in the middle-of-the-supply chain. Successful projects will focus on increasing the supply of New York-sourced food products available in New York markets. Competitive project applications must benefit multiple producers and multiple markets, and may be collaborative applications.
The grant program is to fund projects that expand statewide capacity and infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of targeted local and regional agricultural food products (excluding meat and poultry products). Successful projects will focus on increasing the supply of New York-sourced food products available in New York and regional markets. Competitive project applications will benefit multiple producers and multiple markets.
Priorities and Objectives

Support infrastructure development to expand business’ capacity for processing, aggregation, storage and distribution.
Target development of infrastructure projects to the dairy, fruit and vegetable, and organic industries to support the development of new value-added products.
Create greater market access to intermediaries such as food hubs, aggregators, wholesalers, and distributors with the goal of increasing local food sales to institutions such as schools, hospitals, and correctional facilities.

Funding Information

Infrastructure Grants: This competitive opportunity is focused on funding infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of locally produced agricultural food products (excluding meat and poultry products). Applications may be submitted for projects ranging from $100,000 – $3,000,000. Applications must include match funds of 50% or 25% for historically underserved groups.

Eligible Activities 

Construction
Hiring term-limited personnel to assist with project implementation activities.
Purchasing special purpose equipment to benefit multiple producers through middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution or targeted agricultural product.
Analyzing potential facility upgrades and changes to meet regulatory requirements, obtaining design and/or architecture services.
Planning for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) or other food safety or worker safety measures or equipment recommendations.
Upgrades to new facilities for processing specific agricultural products, such as:

On-farm post-harvest processing, preservation, and storage/cold storage.
Post-harvest cleaning and grading.
Aggregator warehouse and storage, including cooperatives.
Purchase of freezing equipment, freezer, or cold storage.
Processing, canning, preserving and pasteurization.
Preparation and packing.
Drying, hulling, shelling and milling.
Cooking, baking, juicing, distilling, fermenting

Retail related activities can include creating distribution channels to new retail opportunities, or expanding processing and packaging capacities, including adding product types, increasing production volumes, and supporting new retail product lines.

Eligibility Criteria 
Who is eligible?

New York State agricultural producers or processors, or groups of agricultural producers and processors
Nonprofit organizations
Local government entities
Tribal governments
Institutions such as schools, universities, or hospitals bringing producers together to establish cooperative or shared infrastructure or invest in equipment that will benefit multiple producers middle-of-the-supply-chain activities.

What is eligible?
Projects that expand processing capacity, including product type, increased production volume, and supporting new wholesale/retail product lines, modernize equipment or facilities through upgrades, repairs or retooling, purchase installation of specialized equipment, modernize manufacturing, tracking, storage, and information technology systems, enhance worker safety through adoption of new technologies or investment in equipment or facility improvements, construct new facilities, increase packaging and labeling capacities, increase storage space, develop, customize, or install climate-smart equipment, modernize equipment or facilities to ensure food safety, and train on the use of new equipment and new processes.
Some examples include:

Expanding processing capacities, including adding product types, increasing production volumes, and supporting new wholesale/retail product lines;
Modernizing equipment or facilities through upgrades, repairs, or retooling; (e.g., adapting product lines for institutional procurement or adding parallel processing capacity);
Purchase installation of specialized equipment, such as processing components, sorting equipment, packing, and labeling equipment, or delivery vehicles;
Modernize manufacturing, tracking, storage, and information technology systems;
Enhance worker safety through adoption of new technologies or investment in equipment or facility improvements;
Increasing packaging and labeling capacities that meet compliance requirements under applicable laws; (e.g. sealing, bagging, boxing, labeling, conveying, and product moving equipment);
Increasing storage space, including cold storage;
Develop, customize, or install climate-smart equipment that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, increases efficiency in water use, improves air and/or water quality, and/or meets one or more of USDA’s climate action goals;
Modernize equipment or facilities to ensure food safety, including associated Hazard, Analysis, and Critical Control Points (HACCP) consultation, plan development and employee training;
Training on the use of all equipment purchased under the grant and associated new processes.

For more information, visit FFGF.