Value Added Producer Grant Due May 11
What does this program do?
The Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program helps agricultural producers enter value-added activities to generate new products, create and expand marketing opportunities, and increase producer income.
You may receive priority if you are:
- Beginning farmer or rancher.
- Socially-disadvantaged farmer or rancher.
- Small or medium-sized farm.
- Ranch structured as a family farm.
- Farmer or rancher cooperative.
- Proposing a mid-tier value chain.
Grants are awarded through a national competition. Each fiscal year, applications are requested through a notice published in the Federal Register and through an announcement posted on Grants.gov.
VAPG is part of the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) which is an umbrella program created under the 2018 Farm Bill. Producers can find other grant funding opportunities at the LAMP web page.
Program Funding: Approximately $31 million in total available funding.
Maximum Grant Amount: Planning Grants $75,000; Working Capital Grants: $250,000.
Matching Funds Requirements: Cost share match requirement of 100 percent of the grant amount required for all applications.
Who may apply for this program?
Independent producers, agricultural producer groups, farmer- or rancher-cooperatives, and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures, as defined in the program regulation, are eligible to apply for this program.
How may funds be used?
Grant and matching funds can be used for planning activities or for working capital expenses related to producing and marketing a value-added agricultural product. Examples of planning activities include conducting feasibility studies and developing business plans for processing and marketing the proposed value-added product. Examples of working capital expenses include:
- Processing costs.
- Marketing and advertising expenses.
- Some inventory and salary expenses.