Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program

The Department of Agriculture Rural Business Cooperative Services operates the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program (CFDA 10.380), which makes loan guarantees to lenders financing start-up or expansion of food supply chain aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transportation, wholesaling, or distribution activities. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until program funds are expended; no specific application deadline applies.

The program facilitates financing to qualified borrowers by issuing Loan Note Guarantees to lenders after conditional approval. The source does not provide recent grant award data, award counts, assistance-type distribution, or typical award magnitudes. No recent grant opportunities or open solicitations are documented in the source. The source does not disclose combined federal dollars obligated, representative award recipients, or award concentrations among funding agencies.

The program operates under 7 CFR 5001 and incorporates compliance standards from 2 CFR 200, including Subpart A and Subpart B (except sections 200.111–113), sections 200.203, 200.303, and 200.331–333, and Subpart F. Loan records are retained for three years. The rolling-application structure means no fixed proposal deadlines govern eligibility; applicants may submit continuously subject to available program funding.

This program targets the middle segments of the food supply chain rather than farm production or retail operations. The lack of recent award data in the source limits visibility into current activity, award frequency, or typical transaction volume. Potential applicants should contact the Rural Business Cooperative Services directly to confirm current program funding availability and recent award trends before pursuing this financing vehicle.