Utah Food Security Grant (UFSG)

The Utah Food Security Grant (UFSG) was created in 2022 with a $1 million appropriation from the Utah State Legislature. With these funds, UDAF issued grants to Utah-based businesses to increase processing capacity of agricultural products produced in the state. UDAF received additional funding to continue this program during the 2023 – 2025 legislative sessions.

The purpose of this program is to address Utah’s severe infrastructure shortfalls to increase the local processing capacity of Utah-grown agricultural products and increase consumer access to locally produced food. 

The UFSG covers expenses including processing equipment, coolers/freezers, contractor costs (plumbing, draining, electrical work), portion cutters, slaughter equipment, sorting equipment, bottling equipment, etc.

Individual grant awards will be capped at $200,000. 50% of the funds will be set aside for meat and poultry processing. $20,000 will be held for microgrants of $5,000 or less.

**Please be aware ** that this year, a minimum 25% cost match will be required. On the application, you will report the total cost of the project you are applying for. UDAF will reimburse awarded projects up to 75% of that cost. Applicants that are able to provide a 50% match will receive 10 extra preference points.

Eligible applicants must:

• be located and headquartered in Utah

• have no more than 100 employees

• source at least 51% of ingredients or product inputs from Utah-grown/raised products

• sell at least 51% of their products to Utah consumers

• be properly registered with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food and comply with all applicable food registration and inspection requirements. Note: p_roducts made under the Home Consumption and Homemade Food Act (HB181) are not eligible for this grant._

**Meat/poultry processors wishing to apply must be either: **

• A state-inspected “equal-to” slaughter and/or processing plant, 

• A licensed custom-exempt plant,

• A Talmadge-Aiken (TA) or very small federally-inspected plant, or

• A USDA-inspected meat plant.

Eligible Expenses:

Eligible expenses may include processing, distribution, storage, cold storage, and packaging equipment. Expenses must make an immediate impact on the state’s capacity to process or store Utah-raised protein or Utah-grown products, including beef, dairy, pork, eggs, poultry, lamb, bison, fruit, vegetables, honey, etc. Reimbursement amounts are based on the applicable and reasonable project costs.

Reimbursement will be up to the amount stated in the contract and will require actual or copies of receipts, expenses, paid invoices and/or checks.

Expenses may include, but are not limited to:

• Coolers/freezers 

• Portion cutters 

• Processing equipment (smoking units, sausage stuffers, etc.) 

• Slaughter equipment (cradles, saws, hooks, scalders, sinks, etc.) 

• Electronic sorting equipment (e.g. grading and sizing for apples, cherries, or peaches)

• Bottling equipment for juices

• Contractor costs (plumbing, draining, venting, electrical work)

• _*Production expenses, including, but not limited to livestock, seeds, fertilizer, fencing, tractors, etc., are not eligible under this grant. Other expenses not eligible for reimbursement include salaries, fringe, research, land purchases, and unrelated supplies and parts. _

Reimbursement grant in three size classes, no match required in the 2026 cycle.

"UDAF anticipates awarding up to $9,265,098.80 using a competitive review process for microgrants, startup awards, and standard awards of up to $1,000,000 during the 2026 application cycle." Per-award ranges, from the 2026 RFA: "Microgrant Awards ($1,000–$10,000), Startup Awards ($10,000–$50,000) for businesses established within the past 12 months, and Standard Awards ($10,000–$1,000,000) for established businesses. At least $2,000,000 will be dedicated to production projects." Pool by class: $200,000 microgrants, $200,000 startup, $8,865,098.80 standard.

No cost-share or match requirement appears anywhere in the 2026 RFA (earlier cycles required 25%).

Cash-flow warning — this one bites: "This is a reimbursement-based grant. Grant recipients must first sign a contract with UDAF, purchase and pay for approved project expenses, and then submit a reimbursement request with the required documentation." You must pay in full before claiming: "Proof of financing or a loan is not considered proof of payment... partial down payments are not eligible for reimbursement until the full purchase price has been paid." Reimbursement "will be based on eligible, reasonable project costs, and will not exceed the amount awarded in the grant contract," and "UDAF reserves the right to offer award amounts less than the amount requested in the application."

Funds must be spent by September 30, 2027. 2026 cycle ran July 21 – August 31, 2026; a free SAM.gov Unique Entity Identifier is required to apply.

Apply here

Utah Food Security Request for Applications

Utah Food Security Grant Fact Sheet

Utah Food Security Grant Ranking Criteria

Food Security Grant Recipient Map

Video: Learn About The Utah Food Security Grant