PEORIA – State Senator Dave Koehler is encouraging local food processors to apply for the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s new grant, with funding to support food processing, aggregation and distribution. Grants will be available for collaborative projects from $1,000 to $250,000 and for individual projects from $1,000 to $75,000.

"When we say farm-to-home food, we forget about the critical infrastructure in between," said Koehler (D-Peoria). "This investment ensures that our food makes it from farm to local food processor and distribution safely and cleanly to your plates at home."

To be an eligible applicant, organizations must meet these qualifications: be an Illinois resident who stores, processes, packages, aggregates, or distributes value-added agricultural products, or plan to do so. These entities must meet one of the following criteria: a farm, cooperative, or slaughter/processing facility with fewer than 50 employees. As well as an Illinois food business, a food hub, a non-profit organization, or a unit of the local government of Illinois. Those interested can prepare for the upcoming application by pre-registering with SAM.gov and the GATA Grantee Portal. 

To encourage further expansion of the local food industry, all grant funding must be used for purchasing, leasing to own, renting, building or installing infrastructure related to the processing, storage, aggregation, or distribution of value-added agricultural products.

Additional information about the program, supporting links and helpful guidance on getting ahead on the application can be found on the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s website.