Project Grant 20227001738178

The Central Illinois Farm-Fresh Enterprise Development Cooperative (FARMFED CO-OP) received a $239,565.60 Project Grant award from the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP) to complete planning and establish operations. FARMFED CO-OP will connect rural producers in Central Illinois to institutional and retail buyers through processing and freezing local produce. Project outcomes will include a marketing...

The Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service awarded a $112,762 Project Grant to Southern Illinois Coal Belt Champion Community Inc., doing business as Champion Community Investments, on September 14, 2022. The grant is part of the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (CFDA 10.870) and will provide funding through September 14, 2024. The Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program aims to provide rural microentrepreneurs with skills and ongoing technical and financial assistance...

The Market Readiness for Local Farmers and Growers program, funded through a $733,492 Project Grant award from the US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service under the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP), provides farmer training, financial planning tools, market access education, and food safety resources to local and regional food businesses in the Chicago metro area. Delivered through Familyfarmed, the multi-pronged program includes intensive yet...

The Department of Agriculture Office of Advocacy and Outreach awarded a $748,148 Project Grant to Adelante Center For Entrepreneurship through the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers program (CFDA 10.443). The grant will provide training and certification in urban farm systems setup, operations, food handling, sustainable packaging, marketing, and distribution to socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers in Illinois from September...

Federal Grant Award Summary Southern Most Illinois Delta, operating as Sidez, received a $144,797 Rural Business Development Grant (CFDA 10.351) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Business Cooperative Services, awarded on September 25, 2025, with a completion date of September 25, 2027. This Project Grant funds technical assistance, business development services, and economic growth initiatives targeting small and emerging private businesses in rural southern Illinois communities....

The Rend Lake College received a $351,536 Project Grant award from the Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program to deliver educational workshops and field experiences to beginning farmers and ranchers. Over three years, the Rend Lake College project will engage 60 participants total through a series of five-day workshops and field trips focused on basic livestock and crop farming practices, forest...

Federal Grant Award Summary Food Works, a Carbondale, Illinois-based nonprofit organization, received a $749,961 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Institute of Youth, Family, and Community under the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (CFDA 10.443). The award, effective September 30, 2025 through September 29, 2028, funds the Southern Illinois Farming Alliance Program, which delivers comprehensive agricultural...

The University of Illinois was awarded a $649,205 Project Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture to adapt a service-oriented framework for strengthening linkages between small farms, commercial food services, and consumers in the greater St. Louis area. The goal of the four-year project beginning June 1, 2023 is to shift the local food value chain paradigm from traditional production to a service model through three key objectives:...

The Siskiyou Economic Development Council was awarded a $869,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (CFDA 10.311). This 3-year project, which commenced on September 15, 2023, is designed to support the next generation of livestock farmers and ranchers in Northern California and Southern Oregon. The key focus areas include assisting with land transfer and succession planning,...

The Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service Washington Office Rural Business Cooperative Services awarded a $149,250 Rural Business Development Grant (CFDA 10.351) to Southeastern Illinois Regional Planning, a U.S. local government entity operating as S I R P & D C. The grant will support the delivery of business and economic development services to rural communities in Illinois through July 2025. The grant funding will enable Southeastern Illinois Regional Planning to provide...