Eligible applicants for Local MCap grants include business entities (regardless of legal structure) engaged in meat and poultry processing, including rendering animal carcasses or byproducts. Eligible entities include Tribes and Tribal Entities, for-profit entities, non-profit entities, and State or local government entities. Private entities must be independently owned and operated, and all applicants must be domestically owned. Additionally, applicants’ 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.
See additional eligibility requirements in Section 3.1 of the RFA.
When can I submit an application?
The 2023 Local MCap Grant application period is closed. Applications received after the due date will be subject to the AMS’ Late Applications, Denials and/or Appeal Procedures (pdf).
What are the application requirements?
You can find the requirements for submitting an application in the most recently published Request for Applications (pdf).
How do I apply for a grant?
- Prior to submitting an application, confirm that your organization is registered with Grants.gov and the System for Award Management (SAM).
- Follow the application instructions and submission requirements in the RFA and Grants.gov Application Guide (pdf).
- To be considered for funding, all required forms must be submitted as part of a complete application package. Your application will not be considered if all required forms are not submitted together, you should review AMS’ Late Applications, Denials and/or Appeal Procedures (pdf) for further information.
- Submit application through Grants.gov.
- If you missed the deadline due to an extenuating circumstance, you should review AMS’ Late Applications, Denials and/or Appeal Procedures (pdf) for further information.
- Grants.gov issues emails to the applicant providing the submission receipt number, submission validation receipt, and Grantor Agency Retrieval notification. AMS sends confirmation of grant application receipt.
What are other resources I should consider?
USDA’s Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity- Technical Assistance Program (MPPTA) is a no cost technical assistance for all applicants. The MPPTA includes education and information to assist in providing innovative, yet practical planning for systematic aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transportation, wholesaling or distribution of food. AMS encourages all applicants reach out to MPPTA for technical assistance. More information is available at the Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity- Technical Assistance Program (MPPTA).
Grants.gov offers applicant trainings and resources and offers support when submitting an application. If you need Grants.gov support, contact the Grants.gov Support Center at support@grants.gov or visit their Support page.
There is a lot of work that goes into applying for grants, and if you’re awarded one, there are additional commitments that you need to meet. You can find free grant training resources at the Chief Financial Officers Council website.
If you have any questions about applying for an AMS grant, feel free to contact the grant program’s point of contact listed in the RFA or AMSGrants@usda.gov.
Current Application Resources