Illinois Local Food Infrastructure Grant
Forecasted
Illinois Local Food Infrastructure Grant supports Illinois farms, food businesses, nonprofits, and local governments in building processing, storage, and distribution capacity to bring local products to more communities.
Funder: Illinois Department of Agriculture
Due Dates (Anticipated): October 2026 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: $1,000–$75,000 for individual projects; $1,000–$250,000 for collaborative projects
Summary: Funds infrastructure that helps Illinois agricultural products reach more communities through local processing, storage, aggregation, and distribution.
Key Information: Applicants must pre-register and have qualified status when applications are reviewed.
Description
Created under the Local Food Infrastructure Grant Act and administered by the Illinois Department of Agriculture, this program helps Illinois applicants develop infrastructure for local food processing, aggregation, and distribution. Its goal is to increase access to Illinois agricultural products in Illinois communities by addressing gaps between production and markets.
Funding supports purchasing, leasing to own, renting, building, or installing infrastructure related to value-added agricultural products. Examples include processing and packaging equipment, coolers and freezers, refrigerated vehicles, food hubs, community kitchens, milling and dairy equipment, and livestock processing capacity.
