Food businesses in six states can now apply for Business Builder Grants, reimbursable funds that could promote business expansion, job creation, business capacity building, and increase local products in the local market.
More than $3.7 million will be made available through three rounds of funding and are available for projects in Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and northwest Arkansas.
This grant announcement came in August from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Heartland Regional Food Business Center. The Center for Rural Affairs is excited to be a key partner in this effort, providing technical assistance to applicants and spreading the word to get needed resources to rural communities that could greatly benefit from this economic opportunity.
The Heartland Center will accept proposals to the Business Builder Grants program semi-annually for competitive subawards of $5,000 to $50,000. The first funding window is open through Oct. 15, 2024.
The grant application is open to small and diverse food and farm entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations producing in, sourcing from, and focused on local and regional markets. Small business is defined as a business with fewer than 50 employees and less than $3 million in gross annual revenues. There is no size requirement for nonprofits.
Eligible projects include business development activities like marketing, feasibility studies, and loan preparedness, as well as equipment upgrades, food hub development, and worker safety improvements. Application requirements include completing a budget, providing a business plan, and obtaining a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) through SAM.gov.
The Heartland Center offers free training webinars, office hours, and one-on-one business technical assistance to help applicants with these requirements and any other grant application needs they may have.
Grant awardees will be connected with a Heartland Center team member in their state to help navigate the post-award process and see their projects to completion. Applicants may apply for more than one grant award, as long as they do not exceed the $50,000-per-entity limit. Award recipients have 12 months from the date of the award to complete their projects, with the option of one six-month extension.
Projects funded through the Heartland Center’s Business Builder Grants will further their vision of making the region a place where locally produced food will be a major contributor to a resilient and safe food supply through regional networks that make local food an easy, everyday choice supporting healthy people, community economies, and sustainable ecosystems.
The Heartland Center is ready for Spanish-language applicants and will work to accommodate other non-English speakers. Application materials are available in Spanish, and applications may be submitted in Spanish and be reviewed by qualified Spanish-speaking reviewers.
“Business Builder Grants will inject much-needed capital for building and strengthening local food systems in the Heartland,” said Katie Nixon, Heartland Center co-director and leader of the Food Systems Program at New Growth. “We are excited and ready to provide technical assistance to applicants on their ideas and applications. We are here to support our food and farm businesses in their efforts to feed their communities.”
If you have questions or would like more information about Business Builder Grants and how they may be able to support food security in your neck of the woods, please visit the website and sign up for updates at: heartlandfoodbusiness.org/business-builder.
