Last Food Mile Grant

The Last Food Mile Grant is a one-time funding opportunity offered by Farm to Family, a program of the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) that offers grants, networking opportunities, and marketing consultations for farmers, food businesses, and others in local food supply chains.

The aim of this grant is to help producers deliver locally grown foods to Michigan institutions, markets, and consumers by developing transportation and distribution infrastructure across Michigan — bridging the "Last Food Mile" in value chains for small- and mid-sized food producers.

"Last Food Mile" refers to the processes in the food value chain that occur immediately before the product reaches the consumer. Examples include picking up apples from two local orchards to be sold at a farm stop; transporting frozen asparagus, fresh tomatoes, and locally baked bread from a food hub to a school district; bringing eggs and pork aggregated from three cooperative farms to a farmers' market for sale; and delivering four pallets of fresh sweetcorn to a local grocery store.

Eligible applicants must be a Michigan-based farm business or a Michigan-based food business/organization that works directly with Michigan-based farmers. MDARD retains the right to make the final decision about whether an entity qualifies as a Michigan-based farm or food business.

Examples of eligible applicants named in the program FAQ: individual growers or producers; nonprofits that purchase from local growers; food businesses and value-added producers that purchase from Michigan farmers; and food service institutions or restaurants that purchase from Michigan farmers.

The grant is open to applicants based in any Michigan county.

Required project criteria:

• The project must expand delivery of Michigan grown or produced foods to buyers who will eat or prepare the food (individual consumers, schools, hospitals, senior centers, restaurants, cafes, farm stops and other retail, etc.).

• The project must establish or expand at least one partnership with another business or organization to address local food distribution challenges regionally or locally (cross-docking, aggregation, processing, market access, mentorship, or shared use).

• The proposal must demonstrate how the following goals will be met, with targets for each: increase the volume/weight of Michigan grown foods sold in Michigan communities; increase the dollar value of Michigan grown foods sold and the revenue to Michigan farmers; increase the number of Michigan farmers reached, including those who use regenerative practices; increase local and regional market access for a broader geographic distribution of Michigan farmers; and increase the number or types of consumers who have access to Michigan grown foods.

• Grant outcomes must be planned to be achieved within one year.

Preference is given to projects that develop market channels for regenerative agriculture products; that allocate at least 80% of the proposed budget to a refrigerated vehicle; that are innovative; that serve a geographic area or stakeholder group with limited access to local food value chains; and to applicants that do not have another active MDARD grant.

Grants are awarded a maximum amount of $100,000. Applications must be in whole dollar amounts rounded to the nearest $1. Partial awards may be granted.

There is no match required for the Last Food Mile Grant.

Up to 10% administrative cost is allowed. Salaries, wages, staff benefits, and travel costs are not eligible. Eligible refrigerated vehicles must be valued at $100,000 or less and paid in full by grant dollars; used vehicles are considered only with justification, with strong preference for certified used vehicles from a dealership. Grant funds may be used for vehicle wraps, decals, and logos with adequate justification.

This is a reimbursement program: all MDARD-approved budget items are reimbursed after cost documentation is submitted and approved, via the SIGMA system, with costs submitted as incurred. All awardees must register as a vendor in SIGMA Vendor Self Service before signing the grant agreement.

All reimbursable expenditures must be completed within the one-year grant period defined in the grant agreement. Grantees submit quarterly reports on measurable outcomes and may be required to report on outcomes and impact up to three years after the grant period ends.

MDARD reserves the right to reject applications that do not meet program requirements, are received after the deadline, are incomplete, or do not follow the outlined application requirements.

Applications were submitted through the MiAgGrants online grant management system. Applicants must establish a MiLogin account (Citizen or Business) to submit through MiAgGrants; MiLogin requires multifactor authentication.

For the single cycle, the application became available December 16, 2025 and was due Friday, February 6, 2026 at 5 p.m. ET. Only one application per applicant was considered. Projected application review ran February 9 - March 31, 2026, with a targeted grant award announcement period of April-May 2026.

To submit: complete and save all pages of the application, then use the left-side menu "Status options" section and click "Submit Application" — the document landing page should then show "Application in Review."

Pre- and post-award technical assistance is provided by the Farm to Family Program Coordinator. Email MDARD-FarmToFamily@michigan.gov or schedule a meeting with the Farm to Family Team at https://outlook.office365.com/bookwithme/user/cd0bc90f2aa74d5bbf197397c01b2b22%40michigan.gov. MiAgGrants system questions go to Muneeb Khan (KhanM16@michigan.gov).

Last Food Mile Grant Guidelines: https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/-/media/Project/Websites/mdard/documents/business-development/grants/last-food-mile/Last-Food-Mile-Grant-Guidelines.pdf

Frequently Asked Questions about the Last Food Mile Grant: https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/business-development/grantfund/last-food-mile-grant/frequently-asked-questions

Grant Info Session recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUjNlNAvVog

Schedule a meeting with the Farm to Family Team: https://outlook.office365.com/bookwithme/user/cd0bc90f2aa74d5bbf197397c01b2b22%40michigan.gov?anonymous&ismsaljsauthenabled

MDARD Regenerative Agriculture: https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/environment/regenerative-agriculture