Value-Added Agricultural Product Market Development Grant Program (VADG) (Independent Producers)

The summary for the Value-Added Agricultural Product Market Development Grant Program (VADG) (Independent Producers) Federal Grant is detailed below. It contains information such as the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number, who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, important deadlines, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed in the Grant Announcement Contact section. If these sections are incomplete, please visit the website of the government agency that is offering this grant.

	Federal Grant Title:	Value-Added Agricultural Product Market Development Grant Program (VADG) (Independent Producers)
	CFDA Number:	Information not provided
	CFDA Description:	Information not provided
	Federal Agency Name:	Business and Cooperative Programs
	Category of Funding Activity:	Agriculture Energy Business and Commerce
	Category Explanation:	Information not provided
	Opportunity Category:	Discretionary
	Funding Opportunity Number:	RBS-03-01-VADG
	Document Type:	Grants Notice
	Funding Instrument Type:	Grant
	Posted Date:	Sep 25, 2003
	Creation Date:	Nov 19, 2003
	Original Closing Date for Applications:	Oct 20, 2003 Applications must be completed and submitted to the appropriate State USDA Rural development office as soon as possible, but no later than 4:00 pm on October 20, 2003.
	Current Closing Date for Applications:	Information not provided
	Archive Date:	Nov 19, 2003
	Expected Number of Awards:	Information not provided
	Estimated Total Program Funding:	Information not provided
	Federal Grant Award Ceiling:	Information not provided
	Federal Grant Award Floor:	Information not provided
	Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement:	Yes

Applicants Eligible for this Grant

For profit organizations other than small businesses Small businesses Individuals

Additional Information on Eligibility

Information not provided

Grant Description

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) announces the availability of $27.7 million in competitive grant funds for fiscal year 2003 to help independent agricultural producers enter into value-added activities. RBS hereby requests proposals from eligible independent producers, agricultural producers groups, farmer or rancher cooperatives, and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures interested in a competitively awarded grant to fund one of the following two activities: 1) Developing feasibility studies or business plans (including marketing plans or other planning activities) needed to establish a viable value-added marketing opportunity for an agricultural product; or (2) acquiring working capital to operate a value-added business venture or an alliance that will allow the producers to better compete in domestic and international markets. In order to provide program benefits to as many eligible applicants as possible, applications can only be for one or the other of these two activities, but not both. The maximum award per grant is $500,000. In order to maximize the distribution of program benefits, smaller grant requests under $500,000 will receive priority points. Priority is also being given to projects producing energy from biomass or demonstrating profitable use of innovative technologies.

Link to Full Grant Announcement

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/vadg.htm http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/vadg.htm

Grant Announcement Contact

Warman, Marc, Program Director, Phone 202-690-1431, Email marc.warman@usda.gov marc.warman@usda.gov Warman, Marc