Prepare Your Best VAPG Grant Application for 2025
Prepare Your Best VAPG Grant Application for 2025. The Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) provides $250,000 grants to farmers to add value to their farm products. This award from USDA Rural Development is one of the most sought-after grants in the farm community. The Notice of Funds Available will be released in January 2025; subsequently, applications will be due approximately 90 days later.
If you are an agricultural producer or producer group adding value to raw farm commodities, and if you can clearly demonstrate that you are expanding both your customer base and farmer revenues, then, as a result, you may qualify to apply for a VAPG. Prepare Your Best VAPG Grant Application for 2025
The VAPG application demands significant time and effort: it has highly specific eligibility requirements, requires numerous documents and market research, and often takes months to complete. The applicant pool is very competitive, and a compelling pitch is a necessity. To submit a complete and competitive VAPG application, you must understand the requirements and know how to make your application stand out. In this 2-part online workshop from the Food Finance Institute, you’ll learn how to prepare your best application, and what it takes to be competitive in the VAPG applicant pool. Speakers include FFI Farm Program Manager Andy Larson as well as VAPG program leaders, grant writers, and past VAPG grant recipients. Plus, each participating business will receive 50 minutes of one-on-one consulting to discuss their VAPG project
Topics Covered
- Applicant types, project types, and how grant funds can be spent
- Essential supporting documents such as business plans, marketing plans, and feasibility studies
- Creating an elegant work plan and budget, then reporting on progress
- Matching grant funds dollar-for-dollar with cash and in-kind contributions
- Maximizing your score by describing the operational, financial, managerial, and market feasibility of the proposed venture
Virtual Group Sessions
- January 7, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Central Time
- January 14, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Central Time
https://learn.foodfinanceinstitute.org/session/vapg-workshop/#/home
