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.Apply for USDA AMS TM RFSP G 23 0007
- 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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Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) Grant FAQs
What is the Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) grant?
The Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) grant is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). It is designed to help communities plan, build, and strengthen local or regional food systems through formal, partnership-led efforts.
What is the main goal of RFSP?
The central goal is to strengthen the viability and resilience of local or regional food economies by bringing together public and private resources and coordinating partners around shared outcomes. RFSP focuses on organized collaboration rather than isolated, stand-alone projects.
What kinds of activities does RFSP support?
Based on the opportunity description, RFSP supports partnership-led planning and development that coordinates multiple parts of a food system under a shared regional strategy. Examples of coordinated focus areas mentioned include producer support, aggregation and distribution, market development, and community access strategies, all aligned under one regional plan.
Is RFSP focused on planning, implementation, or both?
RFSP is described as being built around partnership-led planning and development. The emphasis is on organizing stakeholders, setting shared priorities, coordinating activities across organizations, connecting partners to resources and services, conducting outreach and education, and measuring progress toward agreed-upon goals.
What is meant by a "formal partnership" under RFSP?
RFSP is structured around formal partnerships that coordinate a network of partners. The partnership is expected to act as a hub that aligns organizations around shared priorities and outcomes and helps coordinate activities and resources across the region or local food system area the partnership defines.
Who is expected to be involved in an RFSP partnership?
The opportunity indicates that competitive partnerships typically include cross-sector representation and demonstrate readiness to work across public and private entities. Examples mentioned include nonprofits, producer groups, local governments, institutions, and businesses involved in processing, distribution, or market development.
How does RFSP define a "local or regional food system"?
A key feature of RFSP is flexibility: partnerships are authorized to define what their local or regional food system looks like. Applicants can determine the size and scope of the geography and the supply chain they are working within, then tailor goals, outreach objectives, and eligible activities to that context.
Does RFSP include outreach and education requirements?
Yes. The description emphasizes outreach and education so more producers and other eligible participants understand how to engage in the partnership agreement and related activities. This suggests RFSP is intended to expand participation and build broader regional capacity over time, not only coordinate among established organizations.
Does RFSP provide technical assistance?
The opportunity states that partnerships are expected to coordinate with USDA AMS to receive technical assistance. This is positioned as part of how the partnership strengthens its ability to deliver coordinated, measurable regional progress.
How does RFSP address pandemic response and recovery?
RFSP explicitly supports efforts connected to pandemic response and recovery, recognizing that regional supply chains and local markets may require targeted coordination and investment to better withstand disruptions.
What makes an RFSP proposal competitive, according to the opportunity description?
The description stresses that competitive partnerships demonstrate a mix of financial and technical capabilities and an ability to collaborate effectively across sectors. It also highlights approaches that are innovative, sustainable beyond the grant period, and measurable, meaning applicants should clearly explain intended changes, how progress will be tracked, and why the work will continue to matter after funding ends.
What does "measurable" mean in the context of RFSP?
RFSP emphasizes measuring progress toward agreed-upon goals. In practical terms, this means the partnership should be able to define shared outcomes and describe how it will track progress toward those outcomes over time.
What does "sustainable beyond the grant period" mean for RFSP?
The opportunity prioritizes work that lasts beyond the grant period. Based on the description, this points to partnerships building durable coordination capacity, aligning resources, and implementing strategies that continue to strengthen the regional food system after grant funding ends.
How does RFSP relate to USDA's Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP)?
RFSP is connected to USDA's broader Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) portfolio. The description notes that 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 positions an RFSP partnership as a coordinating hub that can help channel additional USDA support into aligned on-the-ground projects.
What is the opportunity number for this RFSP funding notice?
The opportunity number listed is USDA AMS TM RFSP G 23 0007.
Which USDA agency administers this opportunity?
The administering agency is the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).
What type of funding instrument is RFSP?
The funding instrument type is a Grant.
What is the funding activity category for RFSP?
The funding activity category is Agriculture.
What is the CFDA number associated with RFSP?
The CFDA number provided is 10.177.
When was this opportunity posted?
The posting was created on February 14, 2023.
What was the application deadline listed in the opportunity details?
The original closing date was May 2, 2023, with applications due by 11:59 pm Eastern Time.
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling listed is $1,000,000.
How many awards did USDA anticipate making?
USDA anticipated making about 75 awards.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with clarification referenced in an "Additional Information on Eligibility" section in the full notice. Applicants are expected to verify the specific eligibility requirements in the official funding materials.
Is RFSP intended for single organizations running a project on their own?
RFSP is described as being centered on partnerships rather than isolated projects. The program emphasizes coordinated work across a network of partners, with a shared regional strategy and a partnership role that aligns priorities, resources, outreach, and progress measurement.
What role does the partnership play once funded?
The partnership is expected to catalyze progress in a defined food system area, coordinate activities across organizations, keep partners focused on shared outcomes, connect partners to resources and services, conduct outreach and education, and measure progress toward agreed-upon goals.
What does it mean that RFSP brings together public and private resources?
It means RFSP is designed to encourage coordinated collaboration across sectors so that public and private entities can align funding, services, expertise, and implementation efforts to strengthen local or regional food systems more effectively than they could through disconnected efforts.
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