We work with farmers and regional organizations like you to help you figure out how to reach your goals and how to obtain funding to help get you there. We specialize in helping to apply for the VAPG and other federal funding programs while creating the supporting documents required. Typically, the process is the most helpful part of our services because we try to challenge you to think about your business in different ways. So, while we want to help you apply for and win a grant, we also want to help you think critically about your business and projects.
Funding from grants can play a critical role in the development of your projects. Assisting business owners, individuals, and organizations through the entire grant process is one of our goals. We are there from the identification of funding sources, to the development of the grant application, to providing expert consulting services regarding grant funding and management.
Helping you secure the right amount of grant funding is important to us. We have been highly successful with widely diverse clients throughout the U.S. securing millions of dollars in federal grants as well as several million in non-federal funds.
Follow this link to see what Jim Matson and others had to say about grants and grant planning at a recent meeting of the American Farm Bureau Federation, as well as other news articles on Matson Consulting
The following is a sample of grant programs:
Value Added Producer Grants (VAPG)
A VAPG is intended to help agricultural producers plan and implement value-added ventures that may help generate higher revenue. Farmers, ranchers, foresters, and fishermen are eligible to apply.
Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)
The Rural Energy for America Program helps provide agricultural producers and rural businesses with loan and grant options to help fund their eligible bio-energy projects.
Rural Cooperative Development Grants (RCDG)
The goal of the RCDG program is to help centers for cooperative development that have the primary purpose of improving the economic condition of rural areas through the development and improvement of new and existing cooperatives.
Farmers Marketing Promotion Program (FMPP)
The Farmer’s Marketing Promotion Program is a USDA run program that offers grants to agricultural businesses, cooperatives, CSAs, etc., to increase consumption of, and access to, locally produced agricultural products.
Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP)
The Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program provides grant funds to departments of agriculture to explore new market opportunities for agricultural products.
Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP)
The LFPP offers both planning and implementation grants to applicants for the purpose of developing or expanding local and regional food business enterprises.
Socially-Disadvantaged Group Grant (SDGG)
The SDGG is administered by the USDA Rural Development program and is aimed at providing funding to groups and centers that provide assistance to small, socially-disadvantaged agricultural producers in rural areas.
Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP)
The SCPGP program is designed to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops and address issues that are facing the specialty crop industry, including food safety, research, and developing food systems.
Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG)
The overall purpose of the REDLG program is to promote rural economic development and job creation projects. The program is designed to encourage rural electric and telecommunications utilities to promote rural economic development and job creation.
Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP)
RMAP is another USDA Rural Development grant and loan program that was created with the purpose to support the development and ongoing success of rural microentrepreneurs and microenterprises.
Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG)
The RBDG offers grants to small and emerging businesses in rural areas. The program offers two types of grants: enterprise type (small and emerging businesses) and opportunity type (projects in rural areas).
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Grants
SARE offers competitive grants to fund research and education projects that advance sustainable agricultural practices in the United States.
Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Grants
RISE program is a grant offering help to struggling communities by funding job accelerators in low-income rural communities
Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program
The Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) provides grants to help eligible processors expand their capacity. USDA Rural Development designed the MPPEP to encourage competition and sustainable growth in the U.S. meat processing sector, and to help improve supply chain resiliency