USDA Farmers Market & Local Food Promotion Program (FMLFPP)
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
Up to $500,000 (LFPP)
Grow your local food market or food hub
Competitive grants from USDA's AMS to support farmers markets, local food enterprises, regional food systems, and direct-to-consumer agricultural marketing. Two tracks: Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) for direct-to-consumer market development, and Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) for supply-chain and regional food system projects. Grants fund capacity building, marketing, infrastructure, training, and technology — not commodity purchases or personal expenses. A strong match for value-added food producers, food hubs, and farmers markets seeking to grow.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Amount range
- $15,000 – $500,000
- Realistic amount
- Most FMPP grants average $100,000–$250,000 for market organizations and producer groups. LFPP supply-chain projects with…
- Deadline
- FY2026 NOFO OPEN — FMPP and LFPP applications due June 5, 2026. Apply at grants.gov now.
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- reimbursement
Who qualifies
- FMPP track (direct-to-consumer): farmers markets, roadside stands, community-supported agriculture (CSA) networks, agritourism activities, online farmers market platforms, and other agricultural direct marketing channels
- LFPP track (local food systems): agricultural businesses, food hubs, food aggregators, regional food distributors, and entities participating in value chains including middlemen between producers and consumers
- Both tracks: agricultural producers, producer networks, producer cooperatives, associations of agricultural producers
- Non-profit organizations and government entities that support farmers market or local food system development
- For-profit businesses with demonstrated agricultural production or marketing activity
- Indian tribes and tribal organizations
- Must have legal status to contract with the federal government
- SAM.gov UEI registration required before submission
- Matching funds required — percentage varies by project type and applicant category (typically 25–50%)
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Personnel costs: salaries and wages of project staff working on grant activities
- Outreach and promotion: advertising, website development, social media, print materials for markets or local food enterprises
- Training and technical assistance: workshops, webinars, educational materials for producers or consumers
- Market infrastructure: equipment for farmers markets (tents, tables, point-of-sale systems, EBT/SNAP terminals)
- Technology development: online platforms, mobile apps, electronic payment systems for direct marketing
- Business development: feasibility studies, business planning, market research
- Coordination and convening: meetings, conferences, and network building among local food system stakeholders
- Direct costs of developing new farmers markets, farm stands, or food hubs
- Indirect costs at the negotiated rate (or de minimis 10% if no negotiated rate)
Ineligible expenses
- Purchase of agricultural commodities or food products themselves (not a commodity purchase program)
- Construction of permanent facilities or real property
- Purchase of land
- Lobbying or political activities
- Costs incurred before the project start date
- Profit for the applicant organization (for non-profits; for-profits may include reasonable overhead)
- Foreign travel without prior USDA approval
How to apply
-
1
Determine which track fits your project
FMPP: your project primarily supports direct sales between farmers and consumers (expanding a farmers market, launching a CSA platform, agritourism marketing). LFPP: your project involves supply-chain development, aggregation, distribution, or processing that keeps local food moving through regional channels to institutional buyers (schools, hospitals, grocers).
~10 hrs
-
2
Register in SAM.gov and Grants.gov
Obtain or renew your SAM.gov UEI registration (7–10 business days for new registrations). Create a Grants.gov account and register your organization. Search Assistance Listing 10.168 (FMPP) or 10.169 (LFPP) for the current NOFO. Download the complete application package.
~10 hrs
-
3
Develop project narrative and budget
The project narrative is the core of the application. Address: project goals and objectives, how activities connect to the priority areas listed in the NOFO, who benefits and how many producers/consumers are served, your organization's capacity to execute, and your evaluation plan. Budget must show matching funds — document the source (cash or in-kind) explicitly. Strong applications show concrete, measurable outcomes.
~10 hrs
-
4
Submit via Grants.gov before deadline
Submit the complete package electronically via Grants.gov. Applications are reviewed by USDA AMS staff — merit-reviewed, not formula-allocated. Awards announced 4–6 months after deadline. USDA prefers projects with clear impact metrics, community partnerships, and sustainable business models beyond the grant period.
~10 hrs
Industry & certifications
NAICS codes: 111110, 111219, 111310, 111411, 112111, 445110, 445120, 445210, 445220, 445230, 445291, 445292, 445299
SNAP/EBT acceptance at farmers markets is a priority scoring criterion — projects that include EBT infrastructure or SNAP Double Dollars matching programs consistently score higher.
Deadline & timing
The FY2026 FMLFPP NOFO is currently open with applications due June 5, 2026 via grants.gov. FMPP (Farmers Market Promotion Program) and LFPP (Local Food Promotion Program) are both accepting applications. Approximately $15M each is anticipated for FMPP and LFPP. Submit early — grants.gov technical issues are common near deadlines. Check ams.usda.gov/services/grants/fmlfpp for the NOFO and required application forms.
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Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.