Deadline: Ongoing Opportunity
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has announced the Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund (AFID) – Planning Grant Program to encourage local governments to think strategically about how they can better support and integrate agriculture and forestry-based industries into their overall economic development and job-creation efforts.
The program can also support innovative efforts by localities to assist their agriculture and forestry-based businesses and encourage the participation of local farm and forestland owners in these efforts.
Types of Activities
AFID Planning Grant Program awards may support one or more of the following activities:
- Implement innovative marketing or market development programs or strategies that assist agriculture or forestry-related businesses.
- Develop a strategic plan for agriculture or forestry economic development.
- Develop local policies or ordinances that better support agriculture or forestry-based business or agritourism.
- Create new plans, policies, or programs that will lead to the preservation of working lands.
- Fund feasibility studies, business plans, or other predevelopment work for projects that will have a significant and lasting positive impact on the local agriculture or forestry sector.
- Develop local initiatives supporting agriculture or forestry-based businesses, such as those promoting agritourism, local food systems, or biomass heat or those addressing food deserts, etc.
- Invest in the development of local agricultural development boards.
- Fund innovative entrepreneurship and business development efforts assisting Virginia agriculture or forestry-related businesses.
Funding Information
Maximum grant amounts are:
- Single locality applicant – An individual applicant may apply for up to $20,000 per grant application.
- Multi-locality applicant – Applications made on behalf of more than one locality may apply for up to $35,000 per grant.
Eligibility Criteria
- Funds shall be awarded as reimbursable grants to political subdivisions.
- Applicants cannot have more than one active planning grant at any time, excluding participation in multi-locality projects.
- For multilocality applications, a single political subdivision must act as the lead applicant.
For more information, visit VDACS.
For more information, visit https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/agriculture-afid-planning-grants.shtml