Local Food Promotion Program | USDA AMS TM LFPP G 17 0001

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA AMS TM LFPP G 17 0001

The Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) is a competitive grant opportunity run by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service and offered under the broader Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP), authorized through the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1946 (as amended). In FY 2017, LFPP made about 13 million dollars available to fund projects that strengthen local and regional food systems. The program is designed to increase consumer access to, and consumption of, locally and regionally produced agricultural products while also creating or expanding market opportunities for farm and ranch operations that sell into local markets. A central focus is supporting "Local and Regional Food Business Enterprises" that handle key supply chain functions like processing, aggregation, distribution, and storage for locally or regionally produced foods.

LFPP requires cost sharing: applicants must provide a 25 percent match. Funded projects are expected to either (1) develop, improve, or expand local and regional food business enterprises, or (2) provide outreach, training, and technical assistance that helps those enterprises grow and operate effectively. In practice, that means the program is not simply funding production on farms; it is aimed at the business and infrastructure relationships that help local food move from producers to buyers and consumers more reliably and at larger scale.

A wide range of entity types can apply as long as they support local and regional food business enterprises involved in processing, distributing, aggregating, or storing local/regional food products. Eligible applicants include for-profit agricultural businesses, agricultural cooperatives, producer networks, producer associations, community supported agriculture (CSA) networks and associations, nonprofit corporations (including 501(c) organizations and accredited institutions of higher education), public benefit corporations, economic development corporations, regional farmers market authorities, and local and tribal governments. The opportunity also provides clarifying definitions for these categories, emphasizing that cooperatives and producer networks are member-owned structures serving producers, while producer associations and CSA associations are organizations that support or represent those producer groups and networks.

LFPP accepts two distinct project types, and an applicant may apply for either planning or implementation in a given cycle, but cannot receive both types in the same grant cycle. Planning Grants are intended for early-stage work to establish or expand a local or regional food business enterprise. Typical planning activities include market research, feasibility studies, and business planning. Awards for planning projects range from 25,000 to 100,000 dollars, and projects must be completed within an 18-month period.

Implementation Grants support on-the-ground execution to launch a new enterprise or improve or expand an existing one. These projects can include training and technical assistance for the enterprise and/or its producer partners, outreach and marketing to buyers and consumers, and non-construction infrastructure improvements (for example, upgrades to facilities that do not involve construction, or improvements to information technology systems). Implementation awards range from 100,000 to 500,000 dollars, and the project period is up to 36 months (three years), reflecting the longer timeline usually needed to build capacity and scale operations.

Key administrative details from the source listing include the funding opportunity title "Local Food Promotion Program," funding opportunity number "USDA AMS TM LFPP G 17 0001," and CFDA number 10.172. The instrument is a discretionary grant administered by USDA AMS under the agriculture activity category. The posted closing date for this FY 2017 opportunity was March 27, 2017, and the award ceiling was 500,000 dollars, aligning with the maximum implementation grant amount. Overall, LFPP is best understood as a supply-chain and market-development grant program aimed at making local and regional food businesses more viable, better connected, and more capable of serving both producers and consumers at the community and regional level.

• The Agricultural Marketing Service in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Local Food Promotion Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.172.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-01-11.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-03-27. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA AMS TM LFPP G 17 0001

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