Harvest to Market Grant

The Harvest to Market Grant is offered by the Heartland Food Business Coalition, a regional initiative focused on strengthening local and regional food systems across the Midwest. The coalition works through partnerships with organizations such as New Growth, University of Missouri Extension, and Kansas State Extension to support small and mid sized food and farm enterprises. This grant program is part of a broader strategy to build resilient supply chains, increase market access, and generate long term economic impact in rural communities. Funding for this program is supported in part by a grant from The Patterson Family Foundation, reinforcing its private funding structure and regional focus. The primary purpose of the Harvest to Market Grant is to help eligible food and farm businesses expand their post harvest and go to market capabilities. The program emphasizes projects that increase processing, aggregation, storage, distribution, and marketing capacity. By targeting these areas, the grant aims to enable businesses to access new markets, improve operational efficiency, and increase revenue. Projects that involve collaboration among multiple businesses, such as shared distribution systems or pooled product sales, receive additional priority as they contribute to broader supply chain resilience. Funding through this program ranges from five thousand dollars to twenty five thousand dollars per award, with approximately one million dollars available in total program funding. Projects must be completed within a six month performance period beginning around December 2026, following award notification in mid November 2026. The grant operates on a partially reimbursement based structure, where a portion of funds is disbursed upfront and the remainder is paid upon completion and submission of required documentation. There is no matching requirement, making the program more accessible to smaller enterprises with limited capital. Eligible applicants include a wide range of for profit food and farm businesses such as producers, processors, distributors, food hubs, cooperatives, and retail outlets. Tribal food and farm enterprises are also eligible. However, nonprofit organizations are explicitly excluded from eligibility. Applicants must meet size requirements, defined as having fewer than fifty employees and less than two million dollars in annual gross revenue. Additionally, businesses must be located in eligible rural counties within Kansas and western Missouri, as geographic eligibility is strictly enforced based on funding requirements. Allowable uses of funds include investments in equipment, marketing, packaging, online sales platforms, feasibility studies, facility improvements, and personnel costs directly related to the project. Activities must focus on post harvest operations and value added production rather than primary agricultural production. Prohibited uses include general operating expenses, land acquisition, political activities, and costs incurred prior to the grant agreement. All expenses must be documented and directly tied to project objectives. The application process is conducted entirely online through the Heartland Food Business Coalition website. Applicants are required to complete a comprehensive application that includes a project summary, business background, current operational baseline, business goals, detailed project plan, supporting evidence, and alignment with program outcomes. A detailed budget with justification is also required. Applications are evaluated using a scoring rubric with a minimum threshold score required for funding consideration. Reviewers assess clarity, feasibility, impact, and alignment with program priorities. The application deadline for the current cycle is August 31, 2026 at 12 pm Central Time. Applications opened in June 2026, and award notifications are expected approximately ninety days after the deadline. Projects are anticipated to begin in mid December 2026 and conclude within six months, with final reporting due shortly thereafter. The program appears to operate on an annual cycle, though this is not explicitly confirmed. Technical assistance is available to applicants throughout the process, and participation in webinars and office hours is encouraged to strengthen application quality.

Prioritize collaborative projects; clearly quantify outcomes; align with regional food system goals; provide strong budget justification