Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Grant Program

The Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Program is a federal cooperative agreement awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to state departments of agriculture. The goal of the program is to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain and to strengthen local and regional food systems by creating new revenue streams for state producers. The Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) is managing the program in Kansas through a partnership with the USDA. The RFSI Program provides funding to support expanded capacity for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution of locally and regionally produced food products. The program specifically targets products such as specialty crops, dairy, grains for human consumption, aquaculture, and other food products, explicitly excluding meat and poultry. It aims to complement other USDA programs that have focused on meat and poultry processing by addressing sectors that have historically been underserved. Kansas received $6,459,355.99 from the USDA to award as competitive grants to Kansas food and farm businesses and other eligible entities. The funds will be used for projects that expand capacity and infrastructure for the targeted agricultural products. The program offers two types of grants. Infrastructure Grants range from $100,000 to $3,000,000 and require cost sharing of 50%, or 25% for underserved farmers and ranchers. The application period for Infrastructure Grants closed on January 31, 2024. Simplified Equipment-Only Grants are fixed-price grants that fund only equipment purchases. The first round of these grants offered awards from $10,000 to $100,000 and closed on January 31, 2024. The second round of Simplified Equipment-Only Grants offers awards from $10,000 to $50,000 with no cost sharing required. This round will operate on an accelerated timeline, with all equipment purchases needing to be completed by the end of the calendar year. The application period for the second round closes on July 18, 2025. Applicants can access resources such as the Kansas Department of Agriculture Application Portal, request templates, program scope documents, and terms and conditions on the KDA website. Additionally, the Kansas Rural Center offers free technical assistance to applicants and can be contacted via email at info@kansasruralcenter.org or by phone at (866) 579-5469. An upcoming webinar providing an overview of the RFSI program and guidance on applying for the second round of Simplified Equipment-Only Grants is scheduled for Friday, June 20, 2025, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. For further inquiries, applicants can contact Brittney Grother, the Grants Coordinator at the Kansas Department of Agriculture, by phone at 785-564-6797. The mailing address for the department is 1320 Research Park Dr., Manhattan, KS 66502. The program is currently active and accepting applications for the second round of Simplified Equipment-Only Grants until July 18, 2025.