Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program

The Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program is a grant from the State of Vermont, funded through the USDA Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, that funds Vermont businesses and organizations to strengthen local and regional food systems. The program offers over $3.

1 million to support aggregation, distribution, manufacturing, processing, storing, transporting, and wholesaling of Vermont food products including specialty crops, dairy, grains, aquaculture, and value-added products. Two grant tracks are available: a larger infrastructure track and an equipment-only track. Projects supporting meat or poultry are excluded.

Priority is given to projects benefiting underserved community members, including limited-resource farmers, new and beginning farmers, and veteran producers. Eligible applicants are Vermont businesses and organizations in the food supply chain.

### May 5, 2025 - The Resilient Food System Infrastructure Program Grants have been announced. * See the list of Vermont businesses awarded the Infrastructure Grants * See the list of Vermont businesses awarded the Equipment-Only Grants The Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program will offer over $3. 1 million in grants to Vermont businesses and organizations to strengthen local and regional food systems.

The purpose of these grants, funded through the USDA Resilient Food Systems Infrastructureprogram, is to: * Build resilience in the middle of the food supply chain, * Support market development and new market opportunities for Vermont farms and food businesses, * Promote development of Vermont value-added products, and * Support fair prices, fair wages, and new and safe job opportunities The Agency of Agriculture will award RFSI grants to improve the aggregation, distribution, manufacturing, processing, storing, transporting, and wholesaling of Vermont food products including specialty crops, dairy, grains, aquaculture, and value-added products.

There will be two grant tracks: an initial, larger infrastructure grant track and an equipment-only grant track. Businesses can only receive one RFSI grant. Grants that benefit underserved community members, such as limited resource farmers, new and beginning farmers, and veteran producers will receive some prioritization in scoring.

Please note that projects to support meat or poultry are excluded from this opportunity, per USDA stipulations. Projects that are exclusive to farming or farm production are not eligible for this funding. However, on-farm processing or value-added projects are eligible, as they fall within the middle of the supply chain suite of activities.

## Equipment-Only Grant Track - CLOSED The equipment-only grant track is solely for "special purpose" equipment needed to meet the goals of the RFSI program.

The equipment must be used for middle of the supply chain activities, such as processing, storage, transportation, aggregation, distribution, or wholesaling and must help the applicant meet one of the the following goals: * Increase market access; * Diversify product offerings; or * Increase production quantities.

Special purpose equipment is tangible, nonexpendable, personal property having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost that equals or exceeds $5,000 per unit. Items under $5,000 per unit are considered supplies and not eligible for this grant. Approximately$1,000,000 will be available for equipment-only projects.

Grants range from $30,000 - $100,000. There is no match requirement for the equipment-only track. Full grant details are outlined in the Request for Applications (RFA) below.

An informational webinar will be hosted on August 20, 2024 (see below for details). Applications will be open from late August 2024 through early October 2024, with estimated notification of awards in early 2025, upon completion of USDA review and project approval.

Farmers, food aggregators and distributors, food hubs, food processors and manufacturers, food retail operations, institutions such as schools or hospitals, nonprofit organizations, producer associations and cooperatives, local government entities, and universities are eligible to apply. Please note that projects to support meat or poultry are excluded from this opportunity, per USDA stipulations.

Projects that are exclusive to farming or farm production are not eligible for this funding. However, on-farm processing or value-added projects are eligible, as they fall within the middle of the supply chain suite of activities. ### How to Apply (Equipment-Only Track) - CLOSED 1.

Download the Request for Applicationsand FAQs and review in detail. 2. Review the WebGrants Application Guide.

_If you have not previously registered in WebGrants, complete the registration form. User registrations are approved in 1–2 business days. _ 3.

View the Grantee Information Session Webinar 4. Submit your application inWebGrantsby October 1st, 2024 at 1:59pm Applicants may be eligible for grant-writing support through the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board's (VHCB) Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI). To qualify for assistance through REDI, a business must be located in a Vermont town with a population of 5,000 or less.

To inquire about assistance through this program, please contact Mariah Noth at Mariah@vhcb. org. ## Infrastructure Grant Track - Closed The infrastructure grant track is for larger-scale projects that expand capacity and infrastructure for aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of locally and regionally produced food products.

Projects can include items such as expanding processing capacities, modernizing equipment, modernizing IT systems, constructing new facilities, modernizing food safety plans, or climate-smart equipment. Approximately $2,000,000 will be available for infrastructure projects. Grants can range from $100,000 - $500,000 and will run from fall 2024 through February 2027.

There is a 50% total project match required. Match can be reduced to 25% for historically underserved farmers and ranchers. Full grant details are outlined in Request for Applications (RFA) and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) below, which will be updated regularly.

Applications will be open from May 1, 2024 to June 5, 2024, with estimated notification of awards in September 2024, upon completion of USDA review and project approval. ' ## Supply Chain Coordination In addition to grant funding, there are RFSI funds set aside to support Supply Chain Coordination to develop and enhance initiatives that focus on business support and market development.

VAAFM and partners will be providing business and technical assistance to organizations working to plan, develop, and execute projects that enhance the middle-of-the-supply-chain. There will also be additional efforts that will support activities in the middle of the supply chain across the state, outside of any grant funds. More information on this coming soon!

Julia. Scheier@vermont. gov