Grants / Department of Agriculture / Rural Business-Cooperative Service

RDBCP-VAPG-2025: Value-Added Producer Grant

Closed Closed April 17, 2025 Opportunity RDBCP-VAPG-2025 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of Rural Business-Cooperative Service notices from 2025.

• Award ceiling$250,000
• Total funding$30.0 million
• Expected awards190
• Cost sharingRequired
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Agricultural Producers, Agricultural Producer Groups, Farmer or Rancher Cooperatives, or Majority-Controlled Producer-Based Business

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Value-Added Producer Grants awards averaged $167,093; this notice allows up to $250,000 per award.
• The notice requires cost sharing or matching funds, so you must contribute part of the project cost.

What the grant funds

Program Overview The objective of this grant program is to assist viable Agricultural Producers, Agricultural Producer Groups, Farmer and Rancher Cooperatives, and Majority-Controlled Producer-Based Businesses in starting or expanding value-added activities related to the processing and/or marketing of Value-Added Agricultural Products. Grants will be awarded competitively for either planning or working capital projects directly related to the processing and/or marketing of value-added products. Generating new products, creating and expanding marketing opportunities, and increasing producer income are the end goals of the program. All proposals must demonstrate economic viability and sustainability to compete for funding. To Apply Applications for the VAPG program must be completed through the Grant Application Portal (GAP). Before starting your application, we encourage, but do not require you to complete a VAPG Self-Assessment survey to help confirm potential eligibility for the program. In addition, we recommend reaching out to your local Business Program Specialist to discuss your project. Please visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/business-programs/value-added-producer-grants and ensure that your State is selected in the dropdown menu to access the contact information for your local State Business Programs Specialist. To access the GAP and start an application you will be directed to log into the portal through eAuthentication. All applicants will need Level 2 eAuthentication access (eAuth). If you do not have eAuth, you will be required to create an account at https://www.eauth.usda.gov/. Please note: USDA eAuth is the system used by USDA agencies to enable individual customers and employees to obtain accounts that will allow them to securely access USDA Web applications and services via the Internet. The eAuth policy defines four assurance levels, Level 2 access is required for the GAP and provides some confidence in the asserted identity's validity. Once you’ve completed your log in process, you will be directed to the GAP Homepage where you can start an application or return to an application in process. Applications will not be accepted via Grants.gov Starting an application in GAP Please be aware, applications in GAP must be started by the Authorized Representative of the applicant entity who has signature authority.

Category: Agriculture.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.