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The United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is now accepting applications for the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP). Eligible applicants will be able to receive up to $750,000 in grant funding for certain projects. Grant applications are due May 2, 2023 with funding available beginning September 30, 2023.

What is the purpose of this program? LFPP’s purpose is to support the development, coordination, and expansion of local and regional food business enterprises that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer-to-consumer marketing to increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products.

Who is eligible to apply? Eligible applicants include:

• Agricultural businesses or cooperatives
• Producer Networks or Associations
• CSA Networks or Associations
• Food Councils
• Local governments
• Nonprofit corporations
• Public benefit corporations
• Economic development corporations
• Regional farmers market authorities
• Tribal governments

What are the project types for LFPP? LFPP offers four project types for this funding round: 1) Planning Projects; 2) Implementation Projects; 3) Farm to Institution; and 4) Turnkey Marketing and Promotion Projects, as detailed below.

1) Planning projects are used in the planning stages of developing, coordinating, or expanding a food business that supports locally and regionally produced agricultural products and food system infrastructure.

Project activities can include, but are not limited to:

• Completing a feasibility study for a new intermediary food channel (i.e., food hub), to analyze market potential, capacity, and potential competitors and partners in the region.
• Hiring experts for technical assistance to implement a local/regional food transportation system.

2) Implementation projects are used to establish a new food business or to improve or expand an existing food business that supports locally and regionally produced agricultural products and food system infrastructure.

Project activities can include, but are not limited to:

• Developing or expanding food incubator programs or mid-tier value chains.
• Connecting, cultivating, and strengthening relationships between local and regional producers and local and regional food businesses and consumer-facing markets.
• Cultivating new wholesale market channels through an online portal or virtual marketplace.
• Investigating and implementing more cost-effective means of transportation for food supply chains through backhaul, route optimization, and/or other operational efficiencies.

3) Farm to Institution projects support the development, coordination, and expansion of institutional markets or institutional food service operations. They may plan and facilitate supply chains and develop relationships between local and regional producers, processors, intermediaries, and institutional markets or institutional food services operations, such as dining facilities within pre-K through grade 12 schools, college, university, hospital, local government, tribal, and state agency cafeterias or meal programs.

Project activities can include, but are not limited to:

• Supporting aggregation, processing, distribution, and storage of local and regional food products by increasing the availability of local food products available on the menu of institutional food service operations (e.g., patient meals in hospitals, school meals, senior meal programs).
• Connecting, cultivating, and strengthening relationships between local and regional producers and local and regional food businesses that engage as intermediaries with local institutional markets.
• Developing business plans and strategies for the inclusion and expansion of local food products, including value-added local agricultural products, in institutional settings and local and regional food system infrastructure in support of farm to institution.

4) Turnkey Marketing and Promotion projects are intended to offer a streamlined approach to some of the most common LFPP grant activities related to the marketing and promotion of local and regional food projects. Applicants applying to the Turnkey Marketing and Promotion track agree to conduct specific activities defined by AMS that support the marketing and promotion of intermediated producer-to-consumer market opportunities.

Applicants must select a minimum of 3 pre-defined activities listed below and should not propose any additional activities; doing so may disqualify the application.

• Identify and analyze new/improved market opportunities.
• Develop/revise a marketing plan.
• Design/purchase marketing and promotion media.
• Implement a marketing plan.
• Evaluate marketing and promotion activities.

What are the funding levels and match requirement for this program?  Funding levels differ based on the LFPP project type and are described as follows:

• Planning project awards range from $25,000 to $250,000.
• Implementation and Farm to Institution project awards range from $100,000 to $750,000.
• Turnkey Marketing and Promotion project awards range from $50,000 to $100,000.

The match requirement for all project types is 25 percent of the total grant funds requested.

What is the project timeline?

Applications must be received on May 2, 2023 by 11:59 Eastern Time.

If awarded, the project start date is September 30, 2023.

Planning and Turnkey Marketing and Promotion grants must be completed in 24 months; Implementation and Farm to Institution projects have a 36-month project duration. 

The full 2023 LFPP Request for Applications can be found here.