Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure
In collaboration with USDA, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture will make competitive awards to support infrastructure in the middle of the supply chain for domestic food and farm businesses and other eligible entities. The purpose of the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program is to build resilience in the middle of the food supply chain, to provide more and better markets to small farms and food businesses and to support the development of value-added products for consumers.
Funds will support expanded capacity for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution of locally and regionally produced food products, including specialty crops, dairy, grains and other row crops for human consumption, aquaculture, and other food products, excluding meat and poultry.
Infrastructure Grant applicants may apply for a minimum federal award of $100,000 and a maximum award of $3 million.
Equipment Only Grant applicants may apply for a minimum federal award of $10,000 and a maximum award of $100,000.
The deadline to submit project proposals is August 31, 2024. All proposals should be submitted to the Business.Development@tn.gov email address. Should you have any questions, please contact Rachel Sullivan, Rachel.L.Sullivan@tn.gov or 615-837-5336.
All grant applicants are required to contribute 50% of the total proposed project cost as a match to federal funding. For historically underserved farmers and ranchers and small businesses that qualify under the Small Business Administration (SBA) including small, disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses, and veteran-owned small businesses, the required match is reduced to 25% of the total proposed project cost.
This program is funded by Section 1001(b)(4) of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 (Pub. L. 117—2).
RFSI INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT PROPOSALS
Build America, Buy America (BABA) Overview:
Any public infrastructure project funded under RFSI must coordinate with AMS to ensure adherence to BABA guidance. For such projects, the recipient must comply with the Buy America Sourcing requirements outlined in the Build America, Buy America (BABA) provisions of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
For-Profit Entities: BABA is not applicable to for-profit entities (either prime or subrecipient) particularly for infrastructure projects. AMS will review facilities owned by public entities to determine whether BABA requirements apply, following USDA guidance to exempt de minimis grant awards and other inapplicable activities. All other Infrastructure Grant entities that surpass the $250,000 threshold of applicable procurement costs must adhere to BABA.
Small Grants Waiver: The small grants waiver will apply to awards with total federal funding below the Simplified Acquisition Threshold, which is currently set at $250,000. BABA is not applicable to Equipment Only Grants as they do not surpass this threshold of $250,000.
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Overview:
All activities funded must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and related applicable agency regulations and instructions, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), other laws and regulations as outlined therein, and any applicable state, local, or tribal laws. A review for NEPA compliance is required prior to the award of grant funds. If selected for an award, applicants must provide all requested information to support compliance with NEPA, NHPA, ESA, and all other federal environmental laws and regulations. Resource: A Citizen's Guide to NEPA (doe.gov) is a relatively short guide that provides an overview of NEPA requirements.