 The Farm to Food Opportunity online series was funded by a grant from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. This module is about funding for food system projects. Please share your feedback using the link to the evaluation found in the video description below. We will discuss funding opportunities for infrastructure, equipment, facility upgrades to meet food safety regulations, research, and training employees. Keep in mind that these programs vary from year to year, especially when a new farm bill is passed. It is important to check the most recent request for proposals to make sure you have updated information about the funding opportunity. Funding can come from federal, state, and local sources. We are going to focus on federal sources of funding from several United States Department of Agriculture divisions, including the Natural Resource Conservation Service, or N-I-R-C-S, the Farm Service Agency, or F-S-A, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, or S-A-R-E, the Agricultural Marketing Service, or AMS, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, or N-I-F-A, and Rural Development. We will also talk about some of the funding and services available through the United States Small Business Administration, or SBA. For each funding opportunity, you will see the agency logo on the side to help us keep track of where the funding is coming from. Let's jump right in with the Local Food Promotion Program. According to AMS, the program funds projects that develop, coordinate, and expand local and regional food business enterprises that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer to consumer marketing. The program helps increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products. Grants can be used for planning a new business or expanding an existing one. They can also be used to fund feasibility studies, market research, training and technical assistance for the business enterprise, and for producers working with the business enterprise. You are eligible to apply if your business is owned, operated and located within the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands to be considered eligible. And are agricultural businesses and cooperative, community-supported agriculture networks or association, food council, economic development corporation, local government, nonprofit and public benefit corporation, producer networks or association, regional farmers market authority or a tribal government. It is possible to receive up to $100,000 for a planning grant or up to $500,000 for an implementation grant. A 25% match is required, which means that if you request $100,000 from AMS, you must have $25,000 to put toward the project from a non-federal source. Your total project cost would be $125,000. In 2020, the due date was in May. Quite a few grant programs include a match requirement, so let's go over that again briefly. For this simple project, I am requesting $50,000 from AMS for salaries, $10,000 to pay for travel, and $5,000 for supplies. The local feed store, who most of our farmers do business with, has agreed to provide $6,250 in supplies for our workshops. In turn, we will make sure that all the participants in the workshop know that the feed store is a partner. We have also arranged for a food safety consultant to provide good agricultural practices training for our farmers. The consultant's normal rate is $100 per hour, so we are able to count 100 hours of her time as $10,000 match. Our total matched funds are $16,250, which is exactly what we need to have 25% of the requested funds matched from non-federal sources. The total cost to complete the project is $81,250. The Farmers Market Promotion Program funds projects that develop, coordinate, and expand direct producer-to-consumer markets to help increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products. The program funds development, coordination, expansion, outreach, training, and technical assistance to domestic farmers markets, roadside stands, community-supported agriculture programs, agritourism activities, and online sales. What makes this program different from the Local Food Promotion Program is the focus on direct-to-consumer sales. The same entities are eligible to apply. You can receive up to $250,000 for a capacity building project or up to $500,000 for a community development, training, and technical assistance project. Like the Local Food Promotion Program, a 25% match is required. In 2020, proposals were due in May. The Regional Food Systems Partnerships Program funds projects that connect and support regional food economies through public-private partnerships. The funds can support the development and planning, such as business plans and feasibility studies. The funds can also support implementation projects, such as those that expand mid-tier value chains, improve economic opportunities for producers, and foster job creation. AMS gives a few examples of eligible project activities for these partnerships, including convening established and potential partners to share opportunities and challenges, and develop an approach that is inclusive of members of a regional food system, creating and conducting feasibility studies, implementation plans, and assessments, including studies analyzing capital needs and gaps, conducting research on specific market mid-tier value chain or infrastructure investments or policy analysis to prioritize next steps at the local, regional, state, and tribal government level, connecting food value chain entities with partners and funders to engage in activities that strengthen the regional food system, and researching possible metrics to measure and evaluate the partnerships' early development, work, and identify ways to use and improve metrics to establish time-defined performance benchmarks for achieving partnership goals. You can receive up to $250,000 for a planning project or up to $1 million for an implementation and expansion project. Like the other AMS programs, a 25% match is required, and 2020 proposals were due in May. The Federal State Marketing Improvement Program funds projects that enhance U.S. producer competitiveness in the market. There are four project types. Agricultural Product Distribution Projects, Cooperative Development Projects, Economic Research to Clarify Marketing Barriers, Opportunities, and Regulatory Compliance Costs, and Agricultural Product Development. This can receive up to $250,000 from this program. Because a state agency must be the applicant and a one-to-one match is required, fewer applications are received for this type of program, and the program has a higher funding rate than other AMS programs. In 2020, proposals were due in May. The Specialty Crop Block Grant specifically funds projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. AMS defines specialty crops as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture. Projects can relate to food safety, capacity improvements across the supply chain, specialty crop research, research to focus on conservation, developing new varieties, pests and disease control, and increasing nutrition knowledge of, and consumption of, specialty crops. In Alabama, the Department of Agriculture applies for these funds and subcontracts them to a broad range of applicants. Non-profit organizations can receive up to $25,000, and universities can receive up to $40,000. In 2020, proposals were due in April. The Multi-State Specialty Crop Block Grant funds projects that address regional or national challenges that affect specialty crops. The program prioritizes projects related to food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crop-specific projects addressing common issues, and marketing and promotion. A state government agency must be the applicant. Up to $1 million is available. No match is required. In 2019, proposals were due in October. The Food Safety Outreach Program funds projects to meet the food safety training needs of a small to mid-sized farm, beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers, small processors, or small fresh fruit and vegetable wholesalers. Applications that include significant collaborations with 1890 or 1994 land grant institutions, insular areas such as U.S. territories, Alaska Native Serving and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, or Hispanic Serving Agricultural Colleges, and universities to increase outreach to underserved minority communities will be funded up to $150,000 above the listed budget maximum. This means that community education and training projects can be funded up to $300,000 and collaborative education and training projects can be funded up to $550,000. No match is required. In 2021, proposals were due in April. The Southern SARE program is part of the larger nationwide SARE program. Each region prioritizes funding opportunities that will best address the needs of the region. The Southern SARE on-farm research grants fund research led by agricultural professionals in the southern region who regularly work with farmers and ranchers. Agriculture professionals in extension, natural resources conservation service, universities, as well as government and non-government organizations who regularly work with farmers and ranchers are eligible to apply for up to $20,000. Applicants must work with at least one farmer or rancher to conduct the research. No match is required. In 2020, proposals were due in December. Now we are going to switch gears for the next few minutes to talk about funding that is available specifically for producers. The goal of the Southern SARE producer grant program is for southern region farmers and ranchers to solve challenges and problems they face. Producers are also encouraged to share information on what works and what does not work so that other farmers and ranchers in the region facing those same problems can benefit from the results. Individual full-time or part-time farmers are eligible to apply for up to $15,000 and ranchers or farmer organizations such as cooperatives may apply for up to $20,000. In 2020, applications were due in November. No match is required. It is important to note that these funds cannot be used to start a farm or business. Find an existing farm or business or support regular operations of the farm or business. The funds also cannot be used for capital improvements like purchasing greenhouses, purchasing equipment or building permanent fence. In general, items that have permanent use beyond the life of the project are not allowed. The funds could be used to experiment with a new type of irrigation system or a new method of removing field heat from perishable crops or the adaptability of a new variety to your region and circumstances. As a part of the agreement, producers must collect data and share results with SARE so that others can benefit from the on-farm research. The Value Added Producer Grant program helps producers explore value-added opportunities related to processing and marketing of new products. The program funds projects that generate new products, create marketing opportunities and increase producer income. The program has some special areas of priority including, but not limited to, beginning farmers and ranchers and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. Producers can apply for up to $75,000 for planning projects and up to $250,000 for working capital. A one-to-one match is required. In 2021, proposals were due in March. The Small Business Innovation Research Program funds projects that transform research and scientific discovery into products and services with commercial potential and societal benefit. Small for-profit businesses are eligible to apply. Phase 1 projects prove the technical feasibility of the concept and can be funded up to $100,000. Phase 2 funds the continuation of research from Phase 1 to commercialize and bring the innovation to market. Phase 2 projects can be funded up to $650,000. The program covers all areas of entrepreneurship and is not limited to agriculture, but agricultureally related manufacturing and renewable energy technologies are encouraged. In 2020, Phase 1 projects were due in October and in 2021, Phase 2 projects were due in February. No match is required. As an example of a Small Business Innovation Research Program project in Alabama, Resource Fiber LLC, based in Homewood, received a grant to test the properties of a bamboo carbon fiber material that could replace 50% of carbon fiber and a product giving it functionally similar to hardwood. Their grant pays for them to try bamboo in different products and measure the properties with the goal of making these products commercially available. The Organic Certification Cost Share Program provides funds to assist with expenses associated with receiving and maintaining organic certification. Certified producers and handlers can receive reimbursement of up to 50% of the certification costs, up to $500. In Alabama, the program is administered by the Department of Agriculture and Industries. Like the Organic Cost Share Program, the GAP-GHP Cost Share Program pays for up to 75% of audit costs for a good agricultural practices or good handling practices audit, up to $500. This program is administered by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries. The Small Business Administration helps start, build and grow businesses through a variety of programs such as loans, securing capital and disaster assistance. The programs are not necessarily geared toward agriculture, but nonetheless the service can be beneficial for any type of business planning. That brings us to the end of this presentation. We undoubtedly left out some valuable sources of funds and we invite you to let us know about them so we can share them with others and update this resource periodically. Remember that grant reviewers are looking for the best fit to the program, so picking the right program for the project is essential. Sometimes a project idea must be tweaked to be funded. As you start to think about finding funds for a project, consider all the resources within Alabama and look for partnerships to strengthen your grant proposal. Other land-grant universities are here to support food and farming projects and can help with research, training and project evaluation. The Alabama Food Systems Collaborative is another great place to look for partnerships. The Collaborative brings together individuals from state government agencies, nonprofits, for-profits and universities to work toward an equitable and prosperous Alabama Food System. We hope that you found this video helpful. Please follow the link in the video description below to complete the evaluation.