Agriculture Innovation Center Program

The Agriculture Innovation Center Program makes grants to Agriculture Innovation Centers that then provide technical and business development assistance to agricultural producers seeking to engage in making or producing Value-Added agricultural products.

The FY2026 funding opportunity (RBCS-2026-AIC) is open on Grants.gov, with applications due January 31, 2027.

Who may apply for this program?

Public bodies, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations and for-profit corporations.

Matching Funds Requirement:

Matching funds are required for at least one-third of the total project budget. For example, if the total project budget is $300,000, matching funds must be at least $100,000. Matching funds may be provided in cash by the applicant or a third party or in-kind by a third party. They must be available for use during the period of performance, and they must be used for allowable expenses.

Award size (FY2026). Award floor $600,000 and ceiling $1,000,000; about 3 awards are expected from an estimated $2,500,000 in program funding.

How may funds be used?

Grant and matching funds may be used to operate an Agriculture Innovation Center and to provide the following services to agricultural producers:

• Consulting services for legal, accounting and technical services to be used by the recipient in establishing and operating a Center.

• Hiring employees for the Center.

• Making of matching grants to agricultural producers.

• Applied research.

• Legal services.

• Technical assistance to agricultural producers, including engineering services, scale production assessments, market planning and development, business planning, and other advisory services.

The FY2026 funding opportunity (RBCS-2026-AIC) is posted on Grants.gov; applications are due January 31, 2027.

Before you apply:

• Register your organization with the System for Award Management (SAM) if you aren’t already registered. The registration is free. You need to complete several steps. It’s a good idea to start the registration process at least a month before any application deadline. Before you start the registration process, we suggest reading through the HELP materials available on the SAM website. Then, you’ll need to create an account. After you create your account by setting up a user ID and password, you can register your organization. Also, make a note of your Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code and expiration date because you’ll need those for your application.

• Program Fact Sheet

• Federal Register

• Application Template | DOC

• Application Checklist | DOC

• Verification of Matching Funds | DOC

• Lobbying Certification | DOC