Regional Food System Partnerships
Forecasted
Regional Food System Partnerships supports public-private partnerships in planning and expanding local and regional food systems to improve market access, food value chain coordination, and producer support.
This grant was recently updated
The FY2026 RFSP application period is now closed; applications were due June 5, 2026. USDA also added a reference to its policy on late, nonresponsive, and incomplete applications.
Funder: Department of Agriculture
Due Dates (Anticipated): June 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Planning and Design: $100,000–$250,000 over 24 months | Implementation and Expansion: $250,000–$1,000,000 over 36 months
Summary: Supports partnerships connecting public and private resources to develop and strengthen local and regional food systems.
Key Information: Partnerships need an official agreement between at least one eligible entity and one eligible partner.
Description
Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP), administered by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), supports partnerships addressing local and regional food system challenges. Projects connect public and private resources to improve market access, coordination across food value chains, and producer support. Partnerships define their region according to the project’s activities and food system needs, from a neighborhood or tribal region to multiple counties or states.
The program supports two project types. Planning and Design projects develop feasibility studies, partnerships, regional strategies, and business plans. Implementation and Expansion projects build on existing work to execute strategies and scale regional food system activities. Activities should align with the selected project type, with implementation proposals demonstrating readiness to put plans into practice.
