USDA MPPEP Phase 3 Round 2: Invasive Wild-Caught Catfish Processing
USDA Rural Development, Rural Business-Cooperative Service
$50,000 to $2,000,000
$50,000 to $2,000,000 (up to 80% of project cost) to expand invasive wild-caught catfish processing. Due December 7, 2026; 20% cost share and SAM registration required.
The Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (Phase 3, Round 2) gives grants of $50,000 to $2,000,000 to businesses and other entities that process invasive, wild-caught catfish, to expand processing capacity. The grant covers up to 80 percent of project costs and needs a 20 percent cost share. Applicants must already process seafood or wild-caught catfish, have been in business for more than a year, plan to operate under a USDA grant of inspection, and sit in a state whose invasive-species plan names catfish. Applications are due December 7, 2026 on Grants.gov, with $6,000,000 available for about six awards.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Amount range
- $50,000 – $2,000,000
- Realistic amount
- $6,000,000 is shared among about six expected awards, so an average near $1,000,000.
- Deadline
- December 7, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time
- Status
- active
- States
- Nationwide
Who qualifies
- Currently process seafood or wild-caught catfish for commercial markets and have been in business more than a year
- Operate or plan to operate under a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service grant of inspection for invasive wild-caught catfish
- Plan to increase processing capacity for invasive wild-caught catfish at the existing facility
- Facility is in a state whose aquatic nuisance or invasive species plan names catfish
- Registered in SAM with a valid UEI
- Provide at least 20 percent of total project cost as cost share
- Private entities must be independently owned and operated
Who is not eligible
- Applicants with no seafood processing or no plan to process invasive wild-caught catfish under a federal grant of inspection
- Facilities exclusively for non-commercial use
- Applicants debarred, suspended or excluded from USDA programs
- Applicants delinquent on federal debt
- Multiple applications from affiliates or entities with 75 percent or more common ownership
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Construction of a new facility
- Purchase of an inoperable facility, including the real estate
- Renovations or retrofits to an existing facility
- Equipment and upgrades to increase invasive wild-caught catfish processing capacity
Ineligible expenses
- Costs reimbursed by a third party
- Costs outside the period of performance (maximum 48 months)
How to apply
-
1
Confirm eligibility and SAM registration
Get a UEI and TIN, register and keep an active SAM record, and confirm your state's invasive-species plan names catfish.
~8 hrs
-
2
Download the NOFO, checklist and application template from Grants.gov
The package includes the application checklist, application template and the AD-2106 civil rights questionnaire.
~2 hrs
-
3
Prepare the work plan, budget, three-year projections, supplier and buyer commitments, and letters of support
Scored on alignment, market development, financial viability, technical merit, labor and community support.
~60 hrs
-
4
Submit through Grants.gov by December 7, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
Missing required documents make the application ineligible.
~3 hrs
Financial viability is scored on documented commitments from fishers and from buyers plus three years of projections, so line those up with the first draft rather than after it.
Deadline & timing
Applications must be received through Grants.gov by 11:59 PM ET on December 7, 2026; late applications are not considered. USDA expects to announce awards around February 8, 2027.
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Required documents
- SF-424 application form with UEI
- Work plan and budget
- Historical financial documents and three years of income and expense projections
- Commitments from fishers and from buyers
- Letters of support from qualifying local leaders (for community impact points)
- Evidence of the 20 percent cost share
- AD-2106 civil rights questionnaire
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Last updated November 8, 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.