USDA has $75 Million for Organic Producer Grants!

The date has been extended to August 8, 2023! Also go to the Grant Info page to get more information. I tried to put everything I can find on that page….

That’s right! I consider these mostly organic producer/handler grants and what is unique is that they pay for capital improvements.  That rarely happens in grant programs. The program focuses on building and expanding capacity for certified organic production, aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, distribution, and development of consumer markets. There are 3 types of projects:

Market Development and Promotion – Developing or expanding commercial markets for generic (non-branded) organic commodities, producer and/or consumer education, and product development for underutilized organic commodities.

Processing Capacity Expansion – New or expanded aggregation, processing, storage, marketing, and distribution mechanisms for organic commodities to create a path to market for producers, including purchase and installation of equipment.

Simplified Equipment Only – purchase equipment to expand capacity for processing, aggregation, and distribution of organic products to create markets for producers.

Grants for Market Development or Processing Capacity are from $100,000 to $3 million and do require a 50% match.  The Simplified Equipment Only grants are up to $100,000 and do not require a match.  Grant matches can include your labor and materials and so don’t necessarily mean CASH! More information is found here: Organic Market Development Grant Page