Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Grant Program (10.978)
Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Grant Program (Assistance Listing 10.978) is run by the Farm Service Agency, part of the Department of Agriculture. It awarded $44.9 million in 131 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $342,824 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $200,000. Half of the 131 awards fell between $100,000 and $400,000, and they ranged from $25,000 to $1.7 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$44.9 million
- Grant awards131
- Typical award$200,000
- Awarded in FY 2025$0
- Size rank1,071 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceGrant
Key findings
- It is the 1071st largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 45% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 40 states and territories.
What the program funds
USDA is offering a grant program focused on addressing labor shortages in agriculture, reducing irregular migration through expansion of legal pathways, and improving labor protections for farmworkers in order to improve the resiliency of our food and agricultural supply chain. . Furthermore, The program aims to improve the resiliency of our food and agricultural supply chain and advance several major administration priorities: Driving U.S. economic recovery and safeguarding domestic food security by addressing current labor shortages in agriculture. Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, agricultural employers were struggling to secure a stable workforce. The pandemic has only exacerbated this problem, threatening our domestic capacity to produce a safe and robust food supply. This pilot program will help address this shortage by expanding the potential pool of workers. Reducing irregular migration through the expansion of legal pathways. The Biden-Harris Administration has taken numerous steps to address the elevated levels of irregular migration from Northern Central America. The H-2A visa program offers a lawful pathway for individuals from these countries to come to the United States to engage in temporary or seasonal agricultural work. An effective H-2A visa program is critical to the resiliency of the food and agricultural supply chain. This pilot program will aim to address challenges that both workers and employers face in utilizing the program. Improving working conditions for farmworkers. Strong working conditions are critical to the resiliency of the food and agricultural supply chain. Through this pilot program, USDA will support efforts to improve working conditions for both U.S. and H-2A workers and ensure that H-2A workers are not subjected to unfair recruitment practices.
Open opportunities
No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.
Rules from the program listing
What the money can and cannot pay for
Except as otherwise indicated in specific Notices of Funding Opportunities under the program, assistance funds may be used for project costs in accordance with 2 CFR 200, Subpart E – Cost Principles. Pre-award costs incurred dating back to March 15, 2024 (2 CFR § 200.458) may be allowable. In such instances, grant recipients must notify FLSP staff in writing that they plan to use funds for such expenses. Costs related to the hiring and onboarding of U.S. and H-2A workers including, for example but not limited to recruitment, applications, attorneys, and other consulting fees, etc. Costs related to the operations related to labor costs, such as but not limited to wages, business and administrative costs related to compliance with the program commitments, etc. Housing maintenance plan costs Allowable for rental costs of land and building space. However, lease agreements to own (i.e., lease-to-own or rent-to-own) are not allowable. The lease or rental agreement must terminate at the end of the grant FLSP period of performance. Rearrangement and reconversion costs are allowable, including those incurred in restoring or rehabilitating the awardee’s facilities to approximately the same condition existing before the start of the grant agreement, less costs related to normal wear and tear (2 CFR § 200.462). Any alterations to housing, or reconversion must ensure compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) - 7 CFR § 1(b).
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
The maximum award amount is $2,000,000 and the minimum amount is $20,000 per agreement.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection Pilot Grant Program (10.978) awarded $44.9 million across 131 grant awards, an average of $342,824 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| LFC Enterprises LLC | Florida | 1 | $1.7 million |
| Pacific Tomato Growers LTD | Florida | 1 | $1.7 million |
| Futrell Farms, Inc. | Kentucky | 1 | $1.4 million |
| Lady Moon Farms, Incorporated | Pennsylvania | 1 | $1.4 million |
| Western Colorado Producers Association | Colorado | 1 | $1.2 million |
| Daniels Produce LLC | Nebraska | 1 | $1.2 million |
| Stormy Mountain Labor Association | Washington | 1 | $1.2 million |
| Drummond Ranch | California | 1 | $1.2 million |
| Highland Harvest Orchards LLC | Washington | 1 | $800,000 |
| Southeastern Seaproducts Inc | Florida | 1 | $800,000 |
| Frenchman Orchards, L.L.C. | Washington | 1 | $800,000 |
| Morale Orchards, LLC | Oregon | 1 | $800,000 |
| Panoramic Farm, Inc | North Carolina | 1 | $800,000 |
| Vulgamore Land & Cattle Co., Inc. | Kansas | 1 | $800,000 |
| DNS Farm Services LLC | Washington | 1 | $720,000 |
| KB Custom Ag Services LLC | Colorado | 1 | $720,000 |
| JVKS Harvest Solutions LLC | California | 1 | $720,000 |
| Cabrera Contracting Inc. | California | 1 | $720,000 |
| Black Gold Farms, Inc. | North Dakota | 1 | $720,000 |
| Ballard Fish & Oyster Co., LLC | Virginia | 1 | $600,000 |
Who usually wins
Small businesses received 62% of the money, businesses 28% and nonprofits 3.3%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small businesses | 102 | $27.7 million | 62% |
| Businesses | 21 | $12.4 million | 28% |
| Other | 5 | $3.3 million | 7.4% |
| Nonprofits | 3 | $1.5 million | 3.3% |
By state
16 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 5 | $5.0 million |
| Washington | 7 | $4.7 million |
| California | 11 | $4.5 million |
| Colorado | 10 | $3.5 million |
| Pennsylvania | 8 | $2.5 million |
| Kentucky | 4 | $2.1 million |
| Georgia | 6 | $1.7 million |
| North Carolina | 4 | $1.7 million |
| Michigan | 5 | $1.6 million |
| Virginia | 4 | $1.5 million |
| Minnesota | 4 | $1.3 million |
| Nebraska | 2 | $1.3 million |
| Kansas | 5 | $1.2 million |
| Oregon | 2 | $1.2 million |
| Maryland | 5 | $1.1 million |
| Texas | 2 | $1.0 million |
| Ohio | 4 | $900,000 |
| Illinois | 6 | $825,000 |
| Puerto Rico | 3 | $800,000 |
| North Dakota | 1 | $720,000 |
| Missouri | 3 | $700,000 |
| Tennessee | 4 | $600,000 |
| New Jersey | 4 | $540,000 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | $525,000 |
| New York | 3 | $500,000 |
| Mississippi | 1 | $400,000 |
| Vermont | 2 | $300,000 |
| Hawaii | 1 | $200,000 |
| Iowa | 1 | $200,000 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | $200,000 |
| Maine | 1 | $200,000 |
| New Mexico | 1 | $200,000 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | $200,000 |
| South Dakota | 1 | $200,000 |
| Delaware | 1 | $100,000 |
| Indiana | 1 | $100,000 |
| Montana | 1 | $100,000 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | $100,000 |
| Utah | 1 | $100,000 |
| West Virginia | 1 | $100,000 |