Appalachian Region Business Builder Subawards

Info@appalachiaRFBC.org

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Appalachian Region Business Builder Subawards offer grants and technical assistance to support projects focused on meeting regional needs and increasing capacity among food and farm businesses working toward expansion in local and regional food markets in the Appalachian region.

Program vision:

• Farm and food businesses that create living wages and support people in building, sustaining, and remaining in Appalachia
• Fair structures that equitably benefit stakeholders and increase the viability of food businesses
• Diverse, culturally appropriate, and ubiquitously accessible local food desired by consumers
• An adaptable, strategically coordinated value chain comprising well-supported actors
• Well-connected, financially-viable infrastructure for processing, aggregation, and distribution
• Supportive conditions for regeneration that increases the health of the region and its people

Strategic pathways:

1. Food and Farm Business Development – Develop viable food and farm businesses to meet consumer demand, enhance financial stability for farm and food businesses, and increase the region's food supply
2. Market Access – Strengthen existing markets, expand new markets, increase food access for underserved populations, and connect value chains
3. Strengthen Processing, Aggregation, Distribution (PAD) Infrastructure – Connect or strengthen existing PAD infrastructure, make infrastructure more accessible to underserved populations, create new infrastructure, and enhance food safety

Eligible uses of funds:

• Staff time
• Business planning activities
• Software implementation
• Value chain and supply chain coordination and innovation
• Product development
• Marketing
• Supply chain analysis and strategy development to identify supply chain gaps and specialization opportunities
• Special purpose equipment
• Rental costs of general purpose equipment when provided in the approved budget or with prior written approval
• Vehicles may be leased but not purchased. The lease or rental agreement must terminate at the end of the grant cycle.

Organizations and businesses (organized as either a non-profit or for-profit entity) that are small and mid-sized food and farm businesses (producers, processors, aggregators, distributors, and other businesses within the food supply chain) or support food value and supply chain coordination are eligible to apply.

Award ceiling: $5,000 - $29,999 for the planning and development track and $5,000 - $100,000 for the implementation and expansion track
Estimated total program funding: $3,320,000 per application round

Links to additional guidance, application instructions, and the online application are available on the program website.