WASHINGTON, March 1, 2022 – This week, the USDA announced supplemental American Rescue Plan Act funding for the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP). In fiscal year 2022, LAMP will receive a total of $97 million in competitive grant funding to help local and regional food entities develop, coordinate, and expand producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets, and local food enterprises. Of the $97 million, LAMP’s Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP) will receive $57 million, and Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) will receive $40 million.
FMLFPP is implemented through two funding opportunities: the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP). FMPP supports direct-to-consumer markets like farmers’ markets and CSAs, and the LFPP supports indirect-to-consumer markets like food hubs and value-added product incubators. Both programs require a 25 percent cash or in-kind match of the federal portion of the grant.
RFSP supports public–private partnerships that build and strengthen the viability and resilience of local or regional food economies. Projects focus on increasing the availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products and alleviating unnecessary administrative and technical barriers. Projects can cover the planning and design of a local and regional food economy as well as implementing or expanding an existing one. This program requires a 25 percent cash match of the federal portion of the grant.
AMS encourages applications that serve smaller farms and ranches, new and beginning farmers and ranchers, underserved producers, veteran producers, and/or underserved communities. For grants intending to serve these communities, applicants should engage and involve those beneficiaries when developing projects and applications.
Applications must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov/ by Monday, May 16, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
For more information about grant eligibility and how to apply, visit the following webpages:
Farmers Market Promotion Program
Regional Food System Partnerships