Eligible applicants can now apply for grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program designed to help strengthen the state's food supply chain. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) will work in partnership with the USDA to award $2.5 million for equipment and infrastructure projects to Nebraska food and farm businesses and other eligible entities including nonprofits, local government entities, tribal governments, schools, and hospitals. The deadline to apply for RFSI grants is Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024.

“RFSI grants will help fund food crop projects from harvest to market and all the many steps in between,” NDA Director Sherry Vinton said. “There are a lot of people and businesses responsible for our food supply, and I’m thankful grant funds are available to help us find ways to improve our food supply chain.”

RFSI funds will support expanded capacity for food crops for activities that happen post-harvest and prior to the arrival at a retail market. This includes activities like gathering, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distributing locally and regionally produced food, including specialty crops, dairy, grains for eating, aquaculture, and other food products. These RFSI funds exclude meat and poultry products because those products are funded through other USDA programs. RFSI “Equipment Only” applications will be accepted for purchases between

$10,000 and $100,000. RFSI “Infrastructure” applications will be accepted for project proposals between $100,000 and $2.5 million.

RFSI grant proposals will be reviewed and scored using select criteria and a grant application software called AmpliFund. A recording of AmpliFund software training for RFSI applications will be available on the website soon.

NDA and USDA will announce the projects receiving funding in the spring. To apply for RFSI grants, or for additional information and frequently asked questions about the RFSI grant process, visit this site, or contact program specialist Holle Evert at 402-310-8354.