Agrarian Trust is proud to be a partner organization on a new initiative supporting food and farm business development.
Our friends at the Appalachia Regional Food Business Center have announced the first round of the Business Builder Subawards, a new grant opportunity for farm and food businesses. Applications are due by November 1, 2024.
The Appalachia Regional Food Business Center is accepting applications for Business Builder Subawards from nonprofit and for-profit entities earning less than $1 million in gross sales. Grants up to $100,000 are available to support staff time, business planning activities, software implementation, the purchase of specialized equipment (such as food safety or processing equipment), value chain and supply chain coordination, product development, marketing, supply chain analysis and strategy development. Additionally, projects focused on developing shared use kitchens and processing spaces, alternative forms of retail (such as a co-operative), food aggregation or distribution and other mid-tier food-related projects that will serve or are based in a distressed community are also encouraged to apply.
The Appalachia Regional Food Business Center serves Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and parts of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland.
To help understand the grant, review the FAQs below.
Q: How do I submit an application?
A: All applicants must submit an online application via Submittable. Submittable is an easy-to-use website that allows applicants to start and save their progress as needed until they have completed the entire application. You do have to create a Submittable account but this is FREE and takes about 2 minutes to set up. Make sure to save your login information! Check out the link below to visit the Submittable application.
If you need help submitting the application, please let us know and we can help you walk through the application.
Q: When is the deadline for submission?
A: November 1st at 12 pm (noon) ET. Please don’t wait until midnight!
Q: When is the anticipated award date?
A: Applicants will be notified by the end of February 2025 for the first round of funding.
Q: Can I still apply if I don’t have a UEI?
A: The UEI number stands for the Unique Entity Identifier. You will need a UEI number through SAM.gov in order to apply and receive funds if you are successful. Check out this video HERE to see how to register for a UEI number.
Q: What do I need to provide for 3 months of financials?
A: Your application will score better if you include business financials, but they are not a requirement to submit. You will need to submit a statement that shows income and key expenses for the time period, i.e.. profit and loss or cash flow statement.
Q: What states and counties are included in the BBA eligibility?
A: If you are a business or producer located in any county in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, or West Virginia you are eligible.
Eligible counties in Pennsylvania include: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Butler, Cambria, Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mercer, Somerset, Venango, Washington, & Westmoreland counties. Eligible counties in Virginia include: Alleghany, Bath, Bland, Botetourt , Buchanan, Carroll, Craig, Dickenson, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Henry, Highland, Lee, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Rockbridge, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise & Wythe counties. Eligible counties in Maryland include: Allegany, Garrett & Washington counties.
Q: The application says I may or may not need a letter from a C-TAP. What should I do?
A: Partners can provide one letter of support per applicant per project.
Generally, your location will determine which C-TAP provider will work with you. All partners are trained to help applicants through the application process, so we do encourage you to reach out for assistance. Technical Assistance — Appalachia Regional Food Business Center (appalachiarfbc.org) has the full list of providers.
Please reach out to one of the partners on the list or send us an email or call! We can help match you up with the best fit.
Q: What types of projects are a good fit for the Business Builder award?
A: Projects that align with the goals below will be prioritized. Note that specialized equipment, labor, marketing, product development, and similar activities are eligible. Construction is NOT eligible.
- Food and Farm Business Development – develop viable food and farm businesses to meet consumer demand, enhance financial stability for farm and food businesses, increase region’s food supply.
- Market Access – strengthen existing markets, expand new markets, increase food access for underserved populations, connect value chains.
- Strengthen Processing, Aggregation, Distribution Infrastructure – connect or strengthen existing PAD infrastructure, make infrastructure more accessible to underserved populations, create new infrastructure, enhance food safety.
Q: How do I know what track to apply for?
A: Key questions to think about when deciding what track to apply for are:
- What do I want this grant to pay for? How much will I need for this project to be successful?
- What impact will this project have on the community, food supply chain and region?
For projects that are going to need a larger investment and/or will have a regional impact, we suggest the I&E track.
Q: What should I use for the start and end dates for my project?
A: We suggest you use a start date of 3/1/2025. All funds must be expended and claimed for reimbursement within 24 months of the date of the award letter or December 31st, 2027 whichever is sooner.
Q: Is this a reimbursement grant?
A: Yes, awardees will need to submit receipts for project expenses prior to the reimbursement being paid out. Funds will be paid out within 30-90 days after a reimbursement is submitted.
Q: The application states that my sales have to be under $1 million. What does this mean?
A: To apply, your 2023 tax reported gross revenue must be under $1 million. This is for both non-profit and for profit businesses.
Q: What all do I need to have ready before submitting?
A: Check out the checklist HERE.
Q: How will applications be scored?
A: The scoring rubric can be found HERE.
