Agriculture Innovation Center Program

What does this program do?

The purpose of this program is to establish and operate Agriculture Innovation Centers (Centers) that provide technical and business development assistance to Agricultural Producers seeking to engage in developing and marketing of Value-Added Agricultural Products.

Program Funding: Unknown

Maximum Grant Amount: $1,000,000 (may be less at the discretion of the Agency).

Who may apply for this program?

• Local Governments
• State Governments
• Federally-Recognized Indian Tribes
• Institutions of higher education
• Nonprofit organizations
• Commercial Organizations

Matching Funds Requirement: Matching funds are required for at least one-third of the total project budget. For example, if the total project budget is $1,500,000, matching funds must be at least $500,000. Matching funds may be provided in cash by the applicant or a third party or in-kind by a third party. They must be available for use during the period of performance, and they must be used for allowable expenses.

How may funds be used? Grant and matching funds may be used to operate an agriculture innovation center, and to provide the following services to agricultural producers:

• Business development services, including feasibility studies and business plans.
• Market development services, including marketing plans, branding, and customer identification.
• Financial advisory services, including assistance with preparing financial statements, and assessing financing options.
• Process development services, including engineering services, scale production assessments, and systems development.
• Organizational assistance, including legal and technical advisory services.
• Value chain coordination, including connecting an agricultural producer to a distribution system, processing facility, or commercial kitchen.
• Product development (excluding research and development), including concept testing, feasibility and cost analysis, product taste-testing, demographic and other types of consumer analysis, production analysis, and evaluation of packaging and labeling options.
• Grants of $5,000 or less to agricultural producers for the above services, where the aggregate amount does not exceed $50,000.

How do we get started? Before you apply:

• Register your organization with the System for Award Management (SAM), if you aren’t already registered. The registration is free. You need to complete several steps. It’s a good idea to start the registration process at least a month before any application deadline. Before you start the registration process, we suggest reading through the HELP materials available on the SAM website. Make a note of your Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code and expiration date because you’ll need those for your application.

Forms and Resources: Select the To Apply tab to access program forms and resource information.

Who can answer questions?

Gail Thuner, Direct Programs Branch, Program Management Division, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, United States Department of Agriculture

1400 Independence Avenue SW, MS 3201, Room 5803-South, Washington, DC 20250-3250

Phone – 202-720-1400 Email [email protected].

Persons with disabilities that require alternative means for communication should contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice).

Will I need to send any reports if I receive a grant? Yes, you must send regular financial and performance reports. Your financial assistance agreement will explain how often to send the reports, what forms to use, and what information is mandatory.

Where can I get more information about the program? Please read the Federal Register notice for important information needed before applying for the grant. You can find Agriculture and Innovation Center regulations on the e-CFR.