Summary
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), has entered into a cooperative agreement with Montana Department of Agriculture for the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program Cooperative Agreements (RFSI). Through this agreement Montana will develop and administer coordinated initiatives to build resilience across the middle-of-the-food-supply-chain. Funds will support expanded capacity for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution of locally and regionally produced food products, including specialty crops, dairy, grains for human consumption, aquaculture, and other food products, excluding meat and poultry. This program is intended to provide similar support provided in other USDA funding for meat and poultry processing, but for the non-meat and poultry sectors. Montana will work in partnership with USDA to make competitive subawards to support infrastructure in the middle-of-the-supply-chain for domestic food and farm businesses and other eligible entities. Additionally, MDA will use a limited portion of funds to develop and/or strengthen the State’s supply chain coordination and targeted market development services for local and regional produced product.Montana Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI)
The RFSI program will support middle of the supply chain projects that improve capacity for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution of locally and regionally produced food products.
RFSI will award competitive grants for middle of the supply chain activities such as:
- processing capacity expansion,
- equipment and facilities modernization,
- worker safety,
- packaging and labeling, and
- storage space.
Montana agriculture industry partners and stakeholders are crucial to ensure RFSI delivers a significant impact for producers, businesses, consumers, and rural communities statewide. Stakeholders may include agricultural producers or processors, nonprofits, local and tribal governments, and institutions involved in middle of the supply chain activities.
Available Funding:
RFSI may fund projects related to:
- specialty crops,
- dairy,
- grains for human consumption,
- aquaculture, and
- other food products.
Projects related to meat and poultry are not allowable.
Equipment Only Grants
Awards under this Request for Proposals are for Simplified Equipment-Only Projects. These projects offer a simplified application to fund grants between $10,000 and $100,000 for equipment purchases. The Simplified Equipment-Only option is a Fixed Price Grant, meaning it will fund only equipment purchases (and not associated facility upgrades, staffing, or other costs), and the amount awarded will be equal to the cost of the equipment up to $100,000. No match is required for this grant type.
Applicants must attach documentation to substantiate the costs of each piece of equipment, which can include contracts, catalog pricing, or binding quotes provided by license commercial entities.
Applicants may request more than one piece of equipment as long they are allowable, allocable, and reasonable, align with the scope of the project, and collectivity meet the funding amount requirements. Equipment for the purposes of this program are not restricted to those items costing over $5,000. As long as the total cost of the project remains between $10,000 and $100,000 and expenses are eligible there is no cost restriction on individual purchases.
Instructions for Applying
- Read the Program Guidelines in order to determine whether or not your project is eligible and learn more about the details of the program to begin the application process.
- Contact the Food and Agriculture Development Center Network to discuss your project and request assistance in applying.
- Register with the Montana Secretary of State . If your company is not already registered with the Montana Secretary of State, you may need to do so before going further with the application process.
- Register with SAM.gov: If your business is not registered with SAM.gov and been issued a UEI it will not be eligible to receive funding.
- Navigate to the Webgrants page to Register and Apply Online
- If you have questions, email rfsi@mt.gov.
Grant Timeline
|
Date |
Time* |
Event |
Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
|
April 15, 2024 |
5:00 PM |
Post Notice of Funding |
MDA Website |
|
April 25, 2024 |
10:00 AM |
Technical Assistance #1 |
Zoom Call** |
|
May 20, 2024 |
11:00 AM |
Technical Assistance #2 |
Zoom Call** |
|
June 3, 2024 |
5:00 PM |
Applications Due to MDA |
Webgrants |
|
TBD-Summer 2024 |
|
Award Announcement |
MT Dept. of Ag |
|
Feb 28, 2027 |
5:00 PM |
Last day to Complete Project Activities |
|
|
March 31, 2027 |
5:00 PM |
Final Reporting and Request for Payment Due |
Webgrants |
|
April 30, 2027 |
5:00 PM |
Final Grant Closeout Date |
Webgrants |
*All times in Mountain Standard Time
**Call information will be posted on the MDA website
RFSI Technical Assistance
RFSI Technical Assistance #1 April 25, 2024
Join Zoom Meeting
https://mt-gov.zoom.us/j/89110534249?pwd=VVdUdWFQQkVkcmdWdGptekJIRUVHZz09
Meeting ID: 891 1053 4249
Password: 393257
+1 646 558 8656
Meeting ID: 891 1053 4249
Password: 393257
Find your local number: https://mt-gov.zoom.us/u/kcDuB1DBR
RFSI Technical Assistance #2 May 20, 2024
Join Zoom Meeting
https://mt-gov.zoom.us/j/89720831268?pwd=MXZDeWRBWEhvY1B0S3lIM0R6SnA1QT09
Meeting ID: 897 2083 1268
Password: 999657
Dial by Telephone
+1 646 558 8656
Meeting ID: 897 2083 1268
Password: 999657
Find your local number: https://mt-gov.zoom.us/u/kb9PfV5Y2P