Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA AMS TM RFSP G 23 0007

The Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) grant is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS) designed to help communities plan, build, and strengthen local or regional food systems through formal partnerships. The core idea is to bring together public and private resources so partners can work in a coordinated way to improve the viability and resilience of local or regional food economies. The program also explicitly supports efforts connected to pandemic response and recovery, recognizing that regional supply chains and local markets often need targeted coordination and investment to withstand disruptions.

RFSP is built around partnership-led planning and development rather than isolated projects. Applicants are expected to work with a network of partners to catalyze progress in a defined food system area, coordinate activities across organizations, and keep the partnership focused on shared outcomes. That coordination role includes setting common priorities, connecting partners to resources and services, and measuring progress toward agreed-upon goals. In practical terms, the program supports partnerships that can organize many moving parts at once, such as aligning producer support, aggregation and distribution efforts, market development, and community access strategies under one regional plan.

A key feature of RFSP is that partnerships have flexibility to define what their “local or regional food system” looks like. They are authorized to determine the size and scope of the geography and the supply chain they are working within, and then tailor their goals, outreach objectives, and eligible activities to that context. Partnerships are also expected to coordinate with USDA AMS to receive technical assistance, and to conduct outreach and education so more producers and other eligible participants understand how to engage in the partnership agreement and related activities. This emphasis on outreach signals that RFSP is not only about internal coordination among established organizations, but also about bringing in additional participants and building broader regional capacity over time.

Competitive partnerships under RFSP are expected to demonstrate that they bring a mix of financial and technical capabilities to the table and can collaborate effectively across sectors. The opportunity stresses readiness and experience working with both public and private entities, implying that successful applicants will typically include cross-sector representation such as nonprofits, producer groups, local governments, institutions, and businesses involved in processing, distribution, or market development. The program also prioritizes approaches that are innovative, sustainable beyond the grant period, and measurable, meaning applicants should be able to explain what will change, how progress will be tracked, and why the work will still matter after the funding ends.

Another notable element is how RFSP connects to USDA’s broader Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) portfolio. RFSP grant recipients may apply for other LAMP programs on behalf of producers or other eligible entities that want to participate in activities under the partnership agreement. This effectively allows an RFSP partnership to serve as a coordinating hub that can help channel additional USDA support into on-the-ground projects that align with the regional strategy, increasing the potential reach and impact of the partnership’s work.

From the opportunity details provided, the funding opportunity title is “Regional Food System Partnerships,” with opportunity number “USDA AMS TM RFSP G 23 0007.” It is a grant (funding instrument type: Grant) within the agriculture funding activity category, associated with CFDA number 10.177. The agency is USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The posting was created February 14, 2023, with an original closing date of May 2, 2023 (applications due by 11:59 pm Eastern Time, as stated). The award ceiling listed is $1,000,000, and USDA anticipated making about 75 awards. Eligibility is listed broadly as “Others,” with clarification referenced in an “Additional Information on Eligibility” section in the full notice, suggesting that applicants should verify specific eligibility requirements in the official materials.

Overall, RFSP is best understood as a funding tool for regional collaboration: it supports partnerships that can organize stakeholders, define a regional food system strategy, align resources, provide outreach and education, use technical assistance, and demonstrate measurable progress toward stronger, more resilient local or regional food economies, including work that helps communities recover from and adapt to pandemic-related disruptions.

  • The Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Regional Food System Partnerships" and is now available to receive applicants.
  • Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.177.
  • This funding opportunity was created on Feb 14, 2023.
  • Applicants must submit their applications by May 02, 2023 Only applications submitted and validated by 1159 pm Eastern Time on. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
  • Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
  • The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 75 candidate(s).
  • Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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