AGRI Urban Agriculture Community & Economic Development Grant

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture administers the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation program, which was established to advance Minnesota's agricultural and renewable energy industries. The AGRI Urban Agriculture Grant Program promotes urban agriculture youth education and urban agriculture community and economic development within urban or peri-urban areas. The AGRI Urban Agriculture Community & Economic Development Grant specifically supports projects that directly support community development or increase economic vitality through urban agriculture and that benefit multiple growers, farmers, or community members. Program priorities include projects demonstrating clear connections between urban agriculture and the community and projects demonstrating new or continued community partnerships. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, for-profit businesses, post-secondary institutions, Native American Tribal governments or communities, and local governmental units that meet the program's pre-award risk assessment requirements. Schools and school districts are also contemplated by the application and must submit an Authority to Apply letter when applicable. Projects must be conducted in Minnesota and must either be located in or serve an eligible community listed in Appendix A or Appendix B. Eligible locations include specified cities with populations over 5,000 and federally recognized Tribal lands serving Tribal community members regardless of population. A project may physically operate outside an eligible listed community if it serves a city or Tribal area included in the appendices. Collaboration is permitted but not required; collaborative applicants must identify the organization that will contract directly with MDA, and letters of support are required from proposed collaborative partners. Applicants may request between $5,000 and $75,000. MDA expects approximately $1.93 million to be awarded competitively across both FY26 AGRI Urban Agriculture Grant programs, with approximately 50% expected for youth agricultural education projects and the remaining funds expected for urban agriculture community development projects; final allocations, award counts, and award amounts will depend on the review process. Applicants must provide a cash match equal to at least 25% of total project cost, with MDA reimbursing up to 75% of eligible project costs. Cash, loans, other grants, and liquid capital assets dedicated to the project may provide the match, but State grant funds and donated or in-kind contributions cannot satisfy the requirement. Eligible costs may include project-specific personnel, fringe benefits, transportation, equipment and installation, supplies and materials, construction, contractual services, and translation. General operations and overhead, land rental or purchase, fundraising, lobbying, out-of-state travel, prepaid cards, cash-paid expenses, double-funded expenses, and expenses incurred outside the grant contract period are among the ineligible costs. Applications must be submitted through MDA's online application system by 4 p.m. Central Time on February 26, 2026. New users must create an account, select the FY26 AGRI Urban Agriculture Community and Economic Development Grant, complete all required questions, provide all required attachments, and submit through the system. Late and incomplete applications will not be evaluated. Required application content includes applicant and contact information, eligibility certifications and attestations, prior State of Minnesota grant history, project name and location, grant request and total project cost, project dates and description, project location eligibility, project design, objectives, evaluation plan, organizational capacity, sustainability and grant-management information, community engagement, impact on Minnesota agriculture, work plan and timeline, a detailed budget and budget narrative, match sources, and at least one letter of support. The budget table must be uploaded as an Excel file rather than a PDF. Schools, school districts, and post-secondary institutions must provide the required Authority to Apply letter when applicable. Funding is awarded competitively. In phase one, MDA staff and external reviewers evaluate eligible applications against a 100-point evaluation profile. Project design is worth 20 points; project location, 10 points; organizational capacity, 15 points; community engagement, 15 points; impact on Minnesota agriculture, 10 points; work plan and timeline, 15 points; and budget and match, 15 points. Reviewers and staff recommend projects for full or partial funding to the Commissioner of Agriculture, who makes award decisions. Geographic distribution and an applicant's history as a State grantee, including prior performance, compliance, and capacity, may also be considered. Applicants advanced to phase two undergo a pre-award risk assessment, with required documentation depending on applicant type and contemplated award amount. MDA may request additional information, develop a risk mitigation plan, or decline an award when substantial risks inhibit an applicant's ability to perform. The deadline for written program questions was February 19, 2026 at 4 p.m. Central Time. Questions were to be emailed to MDA.AGRIGrants@state.mn.us with AGRI Urban Ag Community and Economic Development Grant in the subject line. Applications were due February 26, 2026 at 4 p.m. Central Time. Phase one review was scheduled for February 27 through April 17, 2026, phase two for the week of April 20, and award notifications for the week of May 11, 2026. The anticipated project start date was June 1, 2026 or later, after full execution of the grant contract. Projects must be completed within three years, and contracts cannot be extended beyond three years. Grantees may not begin grant activities or incur reimbursable expenses until the agreement is fully executed and the authorized State representative permits work to begin. Awardees must enter into a grant contract with MDA and comply with reporting, monitoring, reimbursement, procurement, publicity, audit, record-retention, nondiscrimination, and other State requirements. Progress reports are required at least annually until grant funds are expended and contract terms are met, and a final report may also be required. Awards are reimbursement-based and require documentation supporting both purchase and payment. Awards of $25,000 or more receive at least one monitoring visit before final payment and are subject to financial reconciliation of at least one invoice. The RFP does not state that this opportunity recurs annually or on another regular schedule, so no future application cycle is assumed from the source.

Clearly demonstrate how the project advances urban agriculture through community development or increased economic vitality; explicitly connect urban agriculture to the community; demonstrate new or continued partnerships and provide strong letters of support; use clear and concise objectives and measurable evaluation outcomes; provide a thorough realistic work plan with estimated dates; ensure the budget table and narrative are consistent; support budget amounts with quotes or other sources; clearly identify the amount and source of the required cash match; answer every required question within its character limit; submit all required attachments and submit at least 24 hours before the deadline when possible