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Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) - Division of Agriculture

03/08/19 4:00 PM Delivery or 11:59 PM Online Submission (preferred method)

Grants of up to $20,000 to Rhode Island nonprofits, for-profits, individual producers, and producer groups to promote the development, marketing, and growth of seafood and other local food within the state. This program is intended to benefit and strengthen Rhode Island’s local food industry.

In 2019 the LASA Grant Program will prioritize projects which:
1. Support the entry, growth, and/or sustainability of small or beginning agriculture producers (including aquaculture producers) and fishermen/women, and/or
2. Foster new cooperatives, partnerships, and/or collaborations among Rhode Island producers and producer-supporting organizations, and/or
3. Support new products or new sales channels with clearly defined markets, including institutional purchasing of local food, and/or
4. Protect the future availability of agricultural land for producers, including farm transition planning and implementation and other land access strategies, and/or
5. Relate to activities identified in Rhode Island’s Food Strategy Relish Rhody

Projects/programs must serve at least one of the following purposes in order to be eligible for funding through the LASA Grants Program:
1. Assist in the marketing of Rhode Island grown agricultural products and local seafood for the purpose of sale and promotion;
2. Enhance the economic competitiveness of Rhode Island grown agricultural products and local seafood;
3. Provide financial and technical assistance support to organizations and producers for activities and programs which enhance the economic viability of local agriculture, and support the development of a locally-based, safe and sustainable food system;
4. Perform other activities necessary to facilitate the success and viability of the state’s agricultural and seafood sectors.

In addition to providing grants for projects or programs, the LASA Grants Program may also provide capital grants to small or beginning Rhode Island farmers and aquaculture producers to support the growth and sustainability of Rhode Island’s farming and aquaculture industries. Capital grants for fishermen/women are not eligible for LASA funding.

GrantWatch ID#: 142101

$120,000

The maximum grant award available is $20,000. Overhead and/or administrative costs are limited to 10% of total budget proposal.

Projects must be completed within 2 years from signing of grant agreement.

• See RFP and/or Grant Guidelines for full eligibility

Eligible applicants:
For-profit farmers, fishermen/women, and producer groups are eligible to apply as are non-profit organizations. A grant may be paid to a farmer, individual, business (e.g. LLC) or nonprofit organization.

Applicants must be based in the State of Rhode Island. The Advisory Committee will value geographic diversity in the applicant pool when making award determinations.

Only small and/or beginning farmers, or producer groups of small or beginning farmers, are eligible to apply for capital grants. (Aquaculture operators are considered farmers in this regard).

All costs associated with developing or submitting a proposal in response to this request, or with providing oral or written clarification of proposal content, are ineligible expenses and shall be the sole responsibility of the applicant. The State assumes no responsibility for these costs.

Ineligible activities include: non-project related travel, scholarships, general operating funds, on-going capital campaigns, political or policy advocacy campaigns, conference/workshop attendance fees, etc.

All costs associated with developing or submitting a proposal in response to this request, or with providing oral or written clarification of proposal content, are ineligible expenses and shall be the sole responsibility of the applicant. The State assumes no responsibility for these costs.

Technical Assistance:
Technical Assistance will be offered via a webinar presented live in February and made available on RI DEM and RI Food Policy Council websites thereafter.

SurveyMonkey applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm on March 8, 2019. If you choose to deliver an application by mail or in person you may bring it to RI DEM Division of Agriculture by 4 pm on March 8, 2019.

Limited one-on-one technical assistance in completing an application is available from the RI Food Policy Council. Those interested can email the RI Food Council.

If you choose to mail or hand-deliver your application, you may fill out the Word document version available. Online applications are strongly preferred.

Applicants will be notified of award decisions by May 31, 2019.

100% of the funding will be provided up front by or before August 2019.

Before starting your grant application, please review the funding source's website listed below for updates/changes/addendums/conferences/LOIs.

Online Application:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GDCZX6C

RI DEM
235 Promenade Street
Providence, RI 02908

lasahelp@rifoodcouncil.org

For technical assistance, email:
info@rifoodcouncil.org.

See the full text of this grant

USA: Rhode Island

• Business
• Capital Funding
• Economic Development
• Farming/Agriculture
• Individual
• Other
• Small Business
• Women
• Workforce