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Business Builder Subaward Grant Applications

NOW OPEN!


The Heartland Regional Food Business Center will provide financial assistance through Business Builder (BB) Subawards of $5,000 to $50,000 each 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. 


Eligible to apply are small food and farm businesses or nonprofit organizations either located in or serving the five-state Heartland Center region (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska) and/or nine counties in northwest Arkansas (Benton, Carrol, Boone, Washington, Madison, Newton, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson). 


The Heartland Center is one of 12 USDA Regional Food Business Centers in the country. Centers are tasked with building food supply chain resilience through development support for small, mid-size, and diverse food and farm businesses.

BB Subawards will go to projects predominantly aimed at starting or expanding food businesses in the region through value-added opportunities, diversification of on-farm activities, expansion of and/or access to new markets, and/or innovations to generate income. BB Subawards will provide food and farm businesses with the capital needed to launch and expand their businesses while they work to build income streams or identify needed investors.


The Heartland Center anticipates three rounds of funding for a total of $11.15 million, or ~$3.72 million each round. 


Applications due: October 15, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time

Anticipated award date: 90 days after applications due

Maximum award: $50,000

Minimum award: $5,000

Duration: Projects should be completed within 12 months of award date. 


Local Food Fellows Program

With funding provided by a Regional Food Systems Partnership Grant through the Agricultural Marketing Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, K-State Research and Extension Local Food Systems offers the Kansas Local Food Fellows Program. Food system partners across the state of Kansas can apply to host a fellow to work on a site-specific local food system project. Projects may be related to, but are not restricted to research, education, marketing, or community engagement of local food system participants including producers, processors, distributors, retailers, and/or consumers. 
 
Any community organization or business in the state of Kansas involved in the local food system is eligible to apply. This includes, but is not limited to, production, processing, distribution, marketing, media, communications, or community engagement. 


Proposal applications are now open from organizations who want to host a local food fellow until September 30, 2024.
 
Learn more about this program and how you can host a local food fellow in your organization, click on “Learn More” below or contact Amanda Lindahl at alindahl@ksu.edu  

Better Process Control School

Plan now to attend the Better Process Control School on October 10-11, 2024 via Zoom. This training is hosted by K-State Research and Extension and University of Missouri Extension.

The 2025 Great Plains Growers Conference is a 4-State Regional Specialty Growers’ conference, taking place in Saint Joseph, MO from January 9-11, 2025.


This year’s keynote speaker is Paul Rasch from Iowa.  He will talk about his diversified farm that includes a farm, an orchard, a bakery, and a restaurant. There will be various breakout sessions for a wide range of specialty crop producers.