Browse Ambrook’s collection of funding programs by Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM)

All applications must be submitted via the State of Rhode Island Grant Management System (eCivis). Access the system at this link.

The LASA Grant Program provides grants that directly benefit and strengthen the local food system in Rhode Island. The program was established by the Local Agriculture and Seafood Act (LASA) of 2012 via an innovative public-private partnership between the state and three private foundations — the van Beuren Charitable Foundation, the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, and the Rhode Island Foundation. Currently, the program is made possible by funding from the State of Rhode Island. The goal of the LASA grant program&#x2004;is to support the growth, development, and marketing of local food and seafood in Rhode Island.


The LASA Advisory Committee sets priorities each grant year and makes recommendations to the Director of the RIDEM. Applicants are required to fulfill at least one (not all) of the funding priorities listed below.

- Support the entry, growth, and/or sustainability of small or beginning agriculture producers (including aquaculture producers) and fishers.

- Support agriculture producers (including aquaculture producers) and fishers that are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).

- Support the development of new marketing, promotion, sales, and/or distribution channels.

- Support the development of new products, including value-added processing capacity.

- Foster new cooperatives, partnerships, and/or collaborations among Rhode Island agriculture producers (including aquaculture producers) and fishers and supporting organizations.

- Fosters and builds capacity for markets connecting local farms and fishers with Rhode Island’s food-insecure communities.

- Protect the future availability of agricultural land for producers, including farm transition planning and implementation.

- Assistance with on-farm Food Safety improvements assistance, including the development of FSMA and HACCP Standard



The LASA Grant Program provides grants that directly benefit and strengthen the local food system in Rhode Island. The program was established by the Local Agriculture and Seafood Act (LASA) of 2012 via an innovative public-private partnership between the state and three private foundations — the van Beuren Charitable Foundation, the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, and the Rhode Island Foundation. Currently, the program is made possible by funding from the State of Rhode Island. The goal of the LASA grant program is to support the growth, development, and marketing of local food and seafood in Rhode Island.

The LASA Advisory Committee sets priorities each grant year and makes recommendations to the Director of the RIDEM. Applicants are required to fulfill at least one (not all) of the funding priorities listed below.
- Support the entry, growth, and/or sustainability of small or beginning agriculture producers (including aquaculture producers) and fishers.
- Support agriculture producers (including aquaculture producers) and fishers that are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).
- Support the development of new marketing, promotion, sales, and/or distribution channels.
- Support the development of new products, including value-added processing capacity.
- Foster new cooperatives, partnerships, and/or collaborations among Rhode Island agriculture producers (including aquaculture producers) and fishers and supporting organizations.
- Fosters and builds capacity for markets connecting local farms and fishers with Rhode Island’s food-insecure communities.
- Protect the future availability of agricultural land for producers, including farm transition planning and implementation.
- Assistance with on-farm Food Safety improvements assistance, including the development of FSMA and HACCP Standard

For-profit farmers, fishermen/women, and producer groups are eligible to apply as are non-profit organizations. Applicants must be based in the State of Rhode Island. The Advisory Committee will value geographic diversity in the applicant pool when making award determinations. Only small and/or beginning farmers, or producer groups of small or beginning farmers, are eligible to apply for capital grants. (Aquaculture operators are considered farmers in this regard).
Ineligible activities include non-project related travel, scholarships, general operating funds, on-going capital campaigns, political or policy advocacy campaigns, conference/workshop attendance fees, etc.

A lump sum of money for a specific purpose that does not need to be paid back.

Grant

Seafood

Eels

Fish

Shellfish

Atka Mackerel

Carp

Catfish

Flounder

Goosefish

Herring

Hybrid Striped Bass

Largemouth Bass

Ornamental Fish

Pacific Cod

Pacific Ocean Perch

Pollock

Recreational Sportfish

Red Drum

Sablefish

Salmon

Sole

Sturgeon

Tilapia

Trout

Tuna

Turbot

Crustaceans

Molluscs

Crab

Dungeness Crab

King Crab

Snow Crab

Southern Tanner Crab

Crayfish

Lobster

Geoduck

Squid

Aquaculture

- Request for Applications
- Additional one-on-one technical assistance will be provided by RIFPC. To request assistance, you can fill out this form. You may also contact Maggie Longo at lasahelp@rifoodcouncil.org or 401-490-5687.

Farmers Market

Español

Women

People Of Color

Native Americans

Landscape

High Tunnel

Air Quality

Certification

Carbon Capture

Regenerative

Wildlife and Pollinator Habitat

Soil Health

Certified Organic

Certified Grassfed

Cover Crops

Reduced Tillage

Food Systems

Socially Disadvantaged

All costs associated with developing or submitting a proposal in response to this request, or with providing oral or written clarification of proposal content, are ineligible expenses and shall be the sole responsibility of the applicant. The State assumes no responsibility for these costs.
Projects may be up to 15 months in duration. Grantees are responsible for interim and final reports. Interim reports are due on December 1, 2023, and final reports are due on June 30, 2024. Any grantees who do not provide timely interim and final grant reports will be ineligible for future LASA Grant Program funding.

Applications must be submitted through the Division of Agriculture’s webpage at www.dem.ri.gov/agriculture. Instructions for using the system can be found in the Request for Proposals. The registration process can take time, so read the instructions and start as soon as you are able.

Before applying, make sure you have met the below preconditions:
In order to qualify, applicants must provide the following:
- Farm information must be enrolled with the Rhode Island Produce Safety Program
- A completed grant application. You may find it helpful to draft your answers first, and then copy and paste into the online forms. Use the FSMA Grant Worksheet for this purpose.
- Applicants must identify produce safety risks on their farm and describe how the project will help prevent or reduce those risks.
 
HOW TO ENROLL IN THE RHODE ISLAND PRODUCE SAFETY PROGRAM: Farms must complete the following steps in order to enroll their farm in the Rhode Island Produce Safety Program:
- Access the RI Produce Safety Program Enrollment form
- Complete the form with all required information.
- Email completed form to Abigail.Phillips@dem.ri.gov or mail to RIDEM – Produce Safety Program, 235 Promenade Street, Providence RI 02908.

Ananda Fraser

The Rhode Island Department&#x2004;of Environmental Management – Division of Agriculture (RIDEM) is pleased to announce the availability of up to $35,000 of funding in grant opportunities to assist eligible Rhode Island farmers and food businesses with projects that have goals to improve quality, efficiency, and food safety.


Rhode Island Produce Safety Improvement Grants help Rhode Island produce growers implement on-farm food safety practices, transition to compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, and meet market demands for on-farm food safety.



The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management – Division of Agriculture (RIDEM) is pleased to announce the availability of up to $35,000 of funding in grant opportunities to assist eligible Rhode Island farmers and food businesses with projects that have goals to improve quality, efficiency, and food safety.

Rhode Island Produce Safety Improvement Grants help Rhode Island produce growers implement on-farm food safety practices, transition to compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, and meet market demands for on-farm food safety.

This grant is available to farms that are subject to the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. To be eligible, farms must:
- Grow, harvest, pack or hold “covered produce” as defined by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR);
- Have annual produce sales, averaged over the past three years, of greater than $25,000*; and
- Have enrolled in the Rhode Island Produce Safety Program
 
*A farm with an average annual monetary value of produce sold during the previous 3-year period of less than $25,000, adjusted for inflation using 2011 as the baseline year for calculating the adjustment, is not covered by the Produce Safety Rule. The average 3-year value for 2017–2019 is $28,075. See FSMA Inflation Adjusted Cut Offs for additional information.

If the applicant has less than three years of sales, take the average of annual produce sales, adjusted for inflation as stated above, for the years that the farm has been in operation.

Eligible uses of program funds:
- Specialized Equipment and Supplies: produce harvest/storage improvement
- Health/Hygiene: cleaning/sanitization tools, signage, compost/manure handling improvements
- Wash and Pack: washroom supplies, single use packaging

Program funds cannot be used for the following purposes:
- Construction and Construction Supplies
- Projects that fail to demonstrate how produce safety risks will be prevented or reduced
- Reimbursement for completed projects

Trade Relief

Public Health

Compliance

Marketing

Facilities

Interested applicants can apply by completing the Grant Proposal application below.
Applications must be submitted using the format provided in the Grant Proposal Application. All Grant Proposals must be emailed to DEM.SpecialtyCrop@dem.ri.gov. 
Please save Grant Proposals as a Microsoft Word .docx or .pdf file type extension. 

The RI DEM Division of Agriculture (DEM) is pleased to announce a competitive solicitation process to award Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funds for projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture. Please visit USDA’s web site at <https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/scbgp> to view a comprehensive list of eligible specialty crops, ineligible commodities, and examples of projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops under the SCBGP. 



The RI DEM Division of Agriculture (DEM) is pleased to announce a competitive solicitation process to award Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funds for projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture. Please visit USDA’s web site at https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/scbgp to view a comprehensive list of eligible specialty crops, ineligible commodities, and examples of projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops under the SCBGP. 

Projects must enhance the competitiveness of U.S. or U.S. territory-grown specialty crops in either domestic or foreign markets. Each project must identify at least one expected measurable outcome and indicator that specifically demonstrates the project’s impact in enhancing the competitiveness of eligible specialty crops. Funds will not be awarded for projects that benefit a particular commercial product or provide a profit to a single organization, institution, or individual. In addition, grant funds cannot be used to compete unfairly with private companies that provide equivalent products or services. 
Single organizations, institutions, and individuals are encouraged to participate as project partners. Proposals should be initiated by organizations, industry groups, or academic institutions, or should involve collaboration or partnerships between producers, industry groups, academics, or other organizations. Applicants may cooperate with any public or private organization, or two or more individuals or organizations may propose a joint project. Applicants should describe how the project potentially affects and produces measurable outcomes for the specialty crop industry and/or the public rather than a single organization, institution, or individual. 

Specialty Crops

Aloe Leaves

Blackberries

Fruits

Honey

Horticulture

Mamey Sapote

Maple Syrup

Mustard Greens

Parsnips

Passion Fruit

Pineapples

Plantains

Pummelos

Raspberries

Rutabagas

Tree Nuts

Vegetables

Abiu

Achachairu

Antidesma

Apples

Apricots

Bananas

Barbados Cherry

Blueberries

Breadfruit

Cacao

Caimito

Calabaza Melon

Canary Melon

Canary Seed

Caneberries

Canistel

Cantaloupes

Casaba Melon

Cherries

Chinese Bitter Melon

Chokeberry

Citron

Citron Melon

Coconuts

Cranberries

Crenshaw Melon

Custard Apple

Dates

Dragon Fruit

Durian

Elderberries

Figs

Genip

Goji

Gooseberries

Grapefruit

Grapes

Guava

Guavaberry

Honeyberries

Honeydew

Huckleberries

Israel Melons

Jack Fruit

Jujube

Juneberries

Kiwiberry

Kiwifruit

Korean Golden Melon

Kumquats

Langsat

Lemons

Limequats

Limes

Longan

Loquats

Lychee

Mangos

Mangosteen

Mayhaw Berries

Mesple

Mulberries

Nectarines

Oranges

Papaya

Passion Fruits

Pawpaw

Peaches

Pears

Pineapple

Plantain

Plumcots

Plums

Pomegranates

Prunes

Pummelo

Raisins

Rambutan

Sapodilla

Sapote

Schizandra Berries

Soursop

Sprite Melon

Star Fruit

Star Gooseberry

Strawberries

Sugar Apple

Tangelos

Tangerines

Tangors

Wampee

Watermelon

Wax Jamboo Fruit

Winter Melon

Bees

Anise

Basil

Cassava

Chia

Cinnamon

Ground Cherry

Wine

Cilantro

- 2022 Specialty Crop Grant Application
- 2022 Specialty Crop Grant Request for Proposals
- 2020-2022 Specialty Crop Grant Awardees

DEM anticipates grant announcements will be made in early fall.

List of Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RI DEM) Funding Opportunities