On February 14, The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $133 million available in competitive grant funding through the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) to develop, coordinate, and expand producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets, and local food enterprises.
The deadline to apply for the FMLFPP and RFSP program is Monday, May 2, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time via www.grants.gov.
The Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) includes three programs: Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP), and Regional Food Systems Partnership (RFSP) program. LAMP was established in the 2018 Farm Bill to streamline program administration and provide permanent baseline funding status for existing efforts to build and expand local and regional food and agriculture markets.
2023 Grant Cycle
FMPP, LFPP, and RFSP are each administered as separate programs by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and include three separate Request for Applications (RFA). Each program has funding available for a variety of project types. This grant cycle includes an additional $65 million of supplemental funding authorized by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) with a total of $133 million available across the three programs.
The following table provides an overview of project types, award sizes, and funding available for each program.
Farmers Market Promotion Program (Total available $15 million)
| Project Type | Minimum Award | Maximum Award |
| Capacity Building | $50,000 | $250,000 |
| Community Development Training and Technical Assistance | $100,000 | $500,000 |
| Turnkey Marketing and Promotion | $50,000 | $100,000 |
Local Food Promotion Program (Total available $62 million)
| Project Type | Minimum Award | Maximum Award |
| Planning | $25,000 | $250,000 |
| Implementation | $100,000 | $750,000 |
| Farm to Institution | $100,000 | $750,000 |
| Turnkey Marketing and Promotion | $50,000 | $100,000 |
Regional Food Systems Partnership (Total available $56 million)
| Project Type | Minimum Award | Maximum Award |
| Planning & Design | $25,000 | $250,000 |
| Implementation | $250,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Farm to Institution | $250,000 | $1,000,000 |
Notable Changes to 2023 RFAs
New Project Types
The fiscal year (FY) 2023 RFAs incorporate a new streamlined application approach for LFPP and FMPP by offering a Turnkey Marketing and Promotion application. The Turnkey project type covers a specific set of activities defined by AMS. Applicants must implement at least three of the five activities and applicants cannot include activities outside of the defined list in their application. These activities include the following:
- Identify and analyze new or improved market opportunities
- Develop or revise a marketing plan
- Design or purchase marketing and promotion media
- Implement a marketing plan
- Evaluate marketing and promotion activities
American Rescue Plan Funds
The FY23 RFA includes $65 million of supplemental funding from ARP to expand the program’s support for farm to institution marketing opportunities, such as universities, hospitals, and settings operated by local, tribal, and state governments. Both LFPP and RFSP include the “Farm to Institution” project type.
Farm to Institution projects support the development, coordination, and expansion of institutional markets or institutional food service operations, such as pre-K through grade 12 schools, college, university, hospital, local government, tribal, and state cafeterias or meal programs, through local and regional producers and local and regional food enterprises that engage as intermediaries. Check the LFPP and RFSP RFAs for more information.
Resources for Prospective Applicants
For more information about grant eligibility, the applications process, previously awarded projects and frequently asked questions, visit the AMS FMPP webpage, LFPP webpage or RFSP webpage.
AMS is also hosting webinars for prospective applications to FMLFPP and RFSP. Information about those webinars can be found here and below.
Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP) Applicant Webinar
When: Wednesday, March 15, 2023, 1:00 PM Eastern Time
Topic: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced approximately $77 million in competitive grant funding for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP) to expand direct producer-to-consumer markets and local and regional food business enterprises. Register for the FMLFPP Webinar
Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) Applicant Webinar
When: March 29, 2023, 01:00 PM – 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announced $56.5 million in competitive grant funding for the Regional Food System Partnerships Program (RFSP) to explore new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products, and to encourage resilience and development of local or regional food systems. Register for the RFSP webinar
Peer Review Panels
Every year, USDA seeks members of the public to serve on their grant peer review panels. Peer review panels help USDA review grant applications and recommend which projects should receive funding. Grant reviewers, typically people with academic, non-profit, and/or on the ground agriculture-related experience, help to ensure that the projects funded advance the goals of the program.
If your organization is not planning to apply or if you are interested in being part of this process and bringing your sustainable agriculture knowledge to the reviewers’ table, please consider volunteering for a FMLFPP or RFSP peer review panel. Learn more about the AMS peer reviewer application and sign-up here.