Local Meat Capacity Grant (Local MCap)

Program Updates

The funding opportunity for the 2023 Local Meat Capacity Grant Program is closed.

The Local Meat Capacity program was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. Currently, there is not a FY2024 Request for Applications. For any questions related to Local MCap, contact LocalMCap@usda.gov.

Program Purpose

The Local Meat Capacity Grant Program supports independently owned meat and poultry processing businesses with grant funds to provide more and better processing options for local livestock producers by modernizing, increasing, diversifying, and decentralizing meat and poultry processing capacity. 

Project Types

This program supports two project types: Processing Expansion Projects and Simplified Equipment-Only Projects. The funding for each project type ranges from $200,000 to $500,000. Processing Expansion Projects will fund grants from $100,000 up to $5 million, and Simplified Equipment-Only Projects will fund smaller grants between $10,000 and $250,000.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants for Local MCap grants include individual, sole proprietor business or other business entities engaged in meat and poultry processing, including rendering animal carcasses or byproducts, including Tribes and Tribal Entities, for- profit entities, and State or local government entities. Private entities must be independently owned and operated.

Applicants must be domestically owned, and their facilities must be physically located within the 50 States of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Cost Sharing or Match

For the Processing Expansion Projects: 

  • Grant recipients are required to contribute 50% of the total proposed project cost as a match to Federal funding.

 

  • Reduced Match for Small and Underserved Business Owners: The match requirement is reduced to 25% of the total proposed project cost as a match to the Federal funding for Small and Underserved Business Owners. (Refer to the RFA Section 3.1. for definitions (pdf)).

For the Simplified Equipment-Only Projects:

  • No federal cost sharing or matching requirement.

Funded Projects

For more information, go to the LocalMCap Awarded Grants webpage.

Additional Resources