Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Grant Program

Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA)

The purpose of this program is to improve food supply resilience in the middle of the food chain through increasing distribution, aggregation, storage capacity, market expansion and facility updates/expansions. Following federal guidance, grants would only reimburse eligible costs incurred from approved projects from June 2024 through May 25, 2027. Applicants must demonstrate how this project will improve resilience in the middle of the food chain and ensure the project will be completed by May 2027.

Download the RFSI Grant Program One-Pager HERE.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE:

Indiana businesses and producers that work in the middle of the food chain sector, defined as “from the farm gate to the plate” or the processing and aggregation/distribution sector of the food chain.

WHO IS INELIGIBLE:

Products including meat, poultry, wild-caught seafood, dietary supplements, and food for animal consumption do not qualify in this program. Businesses may have the above listed product lines, but grant funds cannot be used to benefit these products.

ANTICIPATED TIMELINE:

Applications will open in December 2023 and will be due to ISDA on March 15, 2024, by 5 p.m. EST.

• Notice of Award Date - Anticipated June 2024.
• Final Report/Documentation Required for Reimbursement - Due to ISDA on or before April 1, 2027.

These anticipated dates are subject to change and any changes will be posted to the ISDA grants page.

ELIGIBLE EXPENSES MAY INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

• Purchase/upgrade of equipment, infrastructure and technology - including installation;
• Construction of a new facility;
• Increasing storage space - including cold storage;
• Increasing packaging and labeling capabilities; and
• Facility upgrades for climate-smart equipment.

INELIGIBLE EXPENSES MAY INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

• Expenses that have been or will be reimbursed under any other federal, state or local funding source;
• Land acquisition or lease;
• Projects focusing on meat/poultry/wild caught seafood; and
• General repairs

The applicant must explain how all expenses are necessary to the goal of the project.

HOW TO APPLY:

All proposals must be submitted via the ISDA Grants Management System (GMS) located on isda.in.gov. To request a GMS account, please email Leah Harmon at lharmon2@isda.in.gov. Required documents include an IRS W-9 form, a State of Indiana Direct Deposit form and a DUNS number to register as a bidder with the State of Indiana.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

The Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Grant Program is still in the development phase, therefore we are not currently creating portal accounts. For more information about this program, contact ISDA Agribusiness Engagement Director, Erica Heater at (317) 910-4722 or eheater@isda.in.gov.

PROGRAM TYPE AND ADDITIONAL FUNDING REQUIREMENTS:

This program is a grant. Therefore, repayment of funds is not required. Applicants will be required to have matching funds to apply for the grant. Below are the accepted matching:

• “In-kind”;
• 25% matching for businesses qualifying as historically underserved farmer or rancher, socially disadvantaged businesses, women or veteran owned; or
• 50% matching for all other businesses.

AWARDS:

Total award from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for Indiana is $8,082,536.

• Infrastructure subawards will be awarded between $100,000 and $3 million, with matching funds
  required
• Special Equipment subawards will be awarded between $10,000 and $100,000, no matching
  funds required
• State Led Supply Chain Coordination Activity Option

Through this grant, the ISDA may carve out $1 million to perform Supply Chain Coordination activities that will benefit statewide supply chain resiliency. Activities included, but are not limited to are:

• Farm Gate to the Plate Restaurant Reimbursement- limited reimbursement for restaurants purchasing locally grown food.
• Food Distribution Expert- Hiring of a Food Distribution Expert to assist producers with making connections to distributers and restaurants.

The Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Grant Program is still in the development phase, therefore we are not currently creating portal accounts. Details are below. For information regarding the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Grant Program, please contact Erica Heater at eheater@isda.in.gov.