Regional Food System Partnerships

Background
The Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) program aims to support partnerships that connect public and private resources to plan and develop local or regional food systems. The program focuses on building and strengthening local or regional food economy viability and resilience, including pandemic response and recovery. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) administers the RFSP grant program.

Grant Details
Applicants are expected to work with their partners to catalyze the development of local or regional food systems. This involves coordinating efforts within the partnership to set priorities, connect resources and services, and measure progress towards common goals. Partnerships are authorized to determine the size and scope of the local or regional food system, coordinate with AMS to receive technical assistance, and conduct outreach and education for potential participation in the partnership agreement and eligible activities.

Eligibility Requirements
Partnerships must bring a variety of financial and technical capabilities, demonstrate experience or readiness to work effectively and collaboratively with public and private entities across sectors, and present innovative, sustainable, and measurable approaches to achieving the project’s goals. RFSP grant recipients may apply for other LAMP programs on behalf of producers or eligible entities that desire to participate in eligible activities under the partnership agreement.

Period of Performance
The period of performance for RFSP Planning and Design projects ranges from $100,000 to $250,000, while Implementation and Expansion projects range from $250,000 to $1,000,000. The application due date is 11:59 PM Eastern Time on May 2, 2023.

Grant Value
Approximately $56.5 million will be available to fund applications under this solicitation. A 25% cash match is required for all projects funded under this grant opportunity.