UDAF Food Security Grant

The Utah Food Security Grant (UFSG), administered by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF), was established in 2022 through a $1 million appropriation from the Utah State Legislature. Its aim is to bolster the local agricultural infrastructure by expanding the processing capacity of products grown and raised in Utah. This effort supports UDAF’s broader mission to enhance Utah’s food resilience and local food availability by supporting Utah-based businesses. The grant program received continued support through legislative sessions from 2023 to 2025, allowing UDAF to keep offering assistance to processors across the state. The UFSG seeks to alleviate processing and storage infrastructure shortfalls that limit the accessibility of Utah-grown products. Funding is directed toward capital expenses such as coolers, freezers, portion cutters, bottling equipment, slaughter equipment, and contractor work like plumbing and electrical services. Fifty percent of the program’s total funding is reserved specifically for meat and poultry processing projects. Additionally, $20,000 of the fund is allocated for microgrants of $5,000 or less to encourage smaller-scale improvements. Individual grant awards can be as high as $200,000, with applicants required to provide a minimum 25% cost match. Applicants offering a 50% match will receive 10 bonus preference points during the evaluation phase. Reimbursement will cover up to 75% of the total reported project cost. Only costs with verifiable documentation, such as receipts and invoices, are reimbursable. Ineligible expenses include salaries, fringe benefits, research, land purchases, and unrelated supplies or parts. Eligibility is limited to Utah-based processors employing no more than 100 individuals and using at least 51% Utah-grown or raised inputs or selling 51% or more of their products within the state. Additional criteria apply to meat and poultry processors, which must be USDA-inspected, state-inspected “equal-to” facilities, licensed custom-exempt plants, or small federally inspected plants under Talmadge-Aiken agreements. Applications opened on May 1, 2025, and will close on June 8, 2025, at 11:59 PM. Two Q&A sessions are scheduled for May 7 and June 4, 2025, offering applicants the opportunity to seek clarification. The review period will occur from June to July 2025, with awards being announced in late July and contracts executed by the end of July. Projects are expected to begin immediately thereafter. For further inquiries, applicants may contact Allison Ross at aross@utah.gov or the UDAF main office at (801) 982-2200 or agriculture@utah.gov. The physical office is located at 4315 South 2700 West, TSOB South Bldg, Floor 2, Taylorsville, UT, with a mailing address at PO Box #146500, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6500. Office hours are Monday through Friday, from 8 AM to 5 PM MST.