The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is administering grant funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS) Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI).
The open application period for this project has closed. We are not currently accepting additional applications.
The purpose of the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI) is to assist U.S. states and territories to build resilience in the middle of the supply chain and strengthen local and regional food systems by creating new revenue streams for their state's producers. An emphasis will be made to fund projects that benefit small and emerging farms and food businesses from historically disadvantaged groups.
The program also aims to:
- Support development of value-added products available to consumers;
- Support proposals that provide fair prices, fair wages and new and safe job opportunities that keep profits in rural communities; and
- Increase diversity in processing options in terms of business model approaches, geography, and availability to underserved communities.
Funds will support expanded capacity and infrastructure 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. ODA will provide two grant tracks - Infrastructure and Simplified Equipment Only. Both tracks will award funds for projects that meet goals stated above.
Project Types
Program Overview and Application Training
Infrastructure Grants
To be eligible for a grant, the project(s) must support expanded capacity and infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution of locally and regionally produced food products. ODA is required to prioritize Infrastructure Grants that:
- Offer family-supporting job quality and treatment/safety of workers;
- Focus on small and medium-sized enterprises that add options and choices for consumers and producers (emphasis on value-added);
- Demonstrate local support for the project;
- Support underserved communities; and
- Are submitted by cooperatives, farmer- and worker-owned enterprises.
Award Amounts: $100,000 - $2,000,000
Infrastructure project activities may include, but are not limited to:
- Modernize manufacturing, tracking, storage, and information technology systems;
- Enhance worker safety through adoption of new technologies or investment in facility improvements;
- Improve the capacity of entities to comply with federal, state, and local food safety requirements;
- Improve operations through training opportunities;
- Support construction of a new facility;
- Modernize or expand an existing facility (including expansion and modifications to existing buildings and/or construction of new buildings at existing facilities).
Simplified Equipment-Only Grants
In addition to the Infrastructure Grant, the ODA will administer a Simplified Equipment Only Grant. The Simplified Equipment-Only option is a Fixed Price Grant, meaning it will fund only equipment purchases (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.
Equipment project activities may include, but are not limited to:
- Modernize processing and manufacturing equipment;
- Develop, customize, or install 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;
- Enhance worker safety through adoption of new technologies or investment in equipment improvements; and
- Improve the capacity of entities to comply with federal, state, and local food safety requirements.
Award amounts: Grants from $10,000 - $100,000
Eligible Products
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Tree nuts
- Dried fruits
- Dairy
- Grains for human consumption
- Aquaculture
- Other food projects
Ineligible Products
- Meat
- Poultry
- Wild-caught seafood
- Exclusively animal feed and forage products
- Fiber
- Landscaping products
- Tobacco
- Dietary supplements
- Hemp
Eligible Organizations
The following organizations can submit projects that aim to enhance the production and competitiveness of Oregon's specialty crop industries:
- Agricultural producers or processors, or groups of agricultural producers and processors
- Nonprofit organizations operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural products
- Local government entities operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural products
- Tribal governments operating middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural products.
- 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 such as processing, aggregation, distribution of targeted agricultural product.
Exclusions
- Grant funds will not be awarded for projects that work with meat, poultry or other eligible activities;
- Applicants are allowed to apply for either Infrastructure or Simplified Equipment Only Grants, not both; and
- Grant funds will not be awarded for projects that do not meet the matching requirements.
Timeline of Events (dates subject to change)
Date
| Activity
|
September 19-20, 2023
| RFSIP Outreach Session: Central Oregon
Event: Uncovering Oregon's Food Production and Co-packaging Trends
Organizer: Cultivate Bend Location: Bend, OR
|
October 4, 2023
| RFSIP Outreach Session: Mid Valley Event: OSU Sustainable Manufacturing Forum
Organizer: Oregon State University, Department of Food Science and Technology
Location: Corvallis, OR
|
November 15, 2023
| RFSI Grant Overview Presentation
|
Friday, December 15, 2023
| RFSIP Outreach session: Coastal
North Coast Virtual Outreach Meeting
12:00 - 1:30 PM
Meeting Recording Dec 15 2023
|
Monday, January 8, 2024
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
| Portland Metro Region: RFSI Infrastructure Grant Program - Office Hours to support collaboration and project ideas
Meeting Recording Jan 8 2024
|
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
1:00 to 2:30 PM
| Central Willamette Valley: RFSI Infrastructure Grant Program - Office Hours to support collaboration and project ideas
Meeting Recording Jan 9 2024
|
Wednesday, January 10, 2024
1:00 to 2:30 PM
| Southern Oregon: RFSI Infrastructure Grant Program - Office Hours to support collaboration and project ideas
Meeting Recording Jan 10 2024
|
Friday, January 12, 2024
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
| Coastal Region: RFSI Infrastructure Grant Program - Office Hours to support collaboration and project ideas
Meeting Recording Jan 12 2024
|
Tuesday, January 16, 2024
1:00 to 2:30 PM
| Columbia Plateau Region: RFSI Infrastructure Grant Program - Office Hours to support collaboration and project ideas Meeting Recording Jan 16 2024
|
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
1:00 to 2:30 PM
| Central Oregon Region: RFSI Infrastructure Grant Program - Office Hours to support collaboration and project ideas
Meeting Recording Jan 17 2024
|
Friday, January 19, 2024
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
| Northeast Oregon Region: RFSI Infrastructure Grant Program - Office Hours to support collaboration and project ideas
Meeting Recording Jan 19 2024
|
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
| RFSI: Equipment grant - Office Hours
Meeting Recording Feb 6 2024
|
Infrastructure Grant
Equipment Grant
February 1, 2024
| Open Requests for Proposals for the Equipment Grant
|
February 2024
| Live informational webinar for applicants
|
February 29, 2024 at NOON
| Close Requests for Proposals
|
March 8, 2024
| Applications sent to the Advisory Committee
|
April 7, 2024
| Advisory Committee meeting to discuss applications
|
April 30, 2024
| Director's office selects grants
|
May 1, 2024
| Grant applicants receive award notices
|
May 24, 2024
| Submit to USDA
|
Estimate - August 2024 | Receive grant funding and begin project work
|
Resources