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.
A webinar for more information and for you to ask questions is scheduled for August 28, 2024, Noon to 1:00 CST. See registration on the website link below.
