Opportunity number
RBCS-AIC-2023
Agency
US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Program
Rural Business-Cooperative Service
Link
Website
Due date
March 06, 2023
Location
National
Sector
Business Support Economic Development Innovation Small Business Workforce Development
Project funding
$600,000 - $1M
Program funding
$8M
Funding size
Below $1M

Agriculture Innovation Center (AIC) Grant Program

RFP Summary provided by the agency

The Agriculture Innovation Center Program awards grants to eligible Agriculture Innovation Centers that provide technical assistance to agricultural producers to help them develop and market value added agricultural products.

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.

Useful links

Training Session – – A recording of a training session that provides an overview of the requirements for the program and addresses questions posed by potential applicants the Agency hosted on January 13, 2023 is here: Webinar Recording.

What is the mission and focus of the program: research, social, economic or others?

Economic, Business Support

How do you submit to this opportunity?

You may submit your application in paper form or electronically through Grants.gov. If you submit in paper form, any forms requiring signatures must include an original signature.

Who are the target applicants: cities, universities, companies, small business, nonprofits, or others?

 

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