OpportunityTitle: Pandemic Response and Safety Grant Program
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: In this first round of PRS funding, USDA is targeting support to small businesses in certain commodity areas and farmers markets.  According to stakeholder feedback, small scale specialty crop producers and processors, meat processors, and distributors, and farmers markets were all significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and received insufficient federal support to address the costs they incurred to keep workers safe and help keep the U.S. food supply intact during the crisis.  To target this support, producers, food processors/manufacturers, and wholesalers/distributors denoted in Appendix A, and farmers markets are eligible to apply for funding. Appendix A details the different small business size qualifications for each eligible industry. The small business size qualifications align with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) guidelines except for specialty crop producers, where SBA set the threshold for all agriculture producers regardless of specific segment at $1 million.  USDA analysis of operations producing specialty crops, showed that the high value crops meant that a higher revenue level was needed to support a small full-time operation than agriculture producers in general and set the specialty crop small business threshold at $5 million.  To see a list of agricultural products classified as specialty crops, please visit https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/scbgp/specialty-crop. A similar review of aquaculture, finfish farming, and shellfish farming operations suggests that this analysis would also be applicable to those operations.  Because of similarities, the small business threshold for aquaculture, farmed finfish, and farmed shellfish producers is set at $5 million. All applicants must be domestic entities owned, operated, and located within the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. While USDA is focusing this first round of funding to small businesses, USDA may expand eligibility in future rounds of funding to include additional businesses not covered by the first round. Future rounds are dependent upon availability of funds. USDA is also focusing this first round of funding on certain commodities due to the unique impacts of the pandemic on their businesses, USDA may expand eligibility in future rounds of funding to include commodities not covered by the first round. No cost sharing or matching funds are required.
Description: Funds will be used to issue grants for COVID-19-related costs incurred between January 27, 2020, the date upon which the public health emergency was declared by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, and December 31, 2021. Grants will cover the activities associated with: Workplace Safety Measures: Workplace safety measures, including, but not limited to, personal protective equipment, sanitizer, hand washing stations, air filters, thermometers, cleaning supplies, or similar items. Market Pivots: Market pivots such as transition to virtual/online sales costs (online platform development and fees, online marketing, credit card processing fees), supplies, new signage. Retrofitting Facilities: Retrofitting facilities for worker and consumer safety (plexiglass, walk up windows, heat lamps, fans, tents, propane, weights, tables, chairs). Transportation: Additional transportation costs incurred to maintain social distancing. Worker Housing: Additional worker housing costs incurred to maintain social distancing or to allow for quarantining of new or exposed employees. Medical: Unreimbursed costs associated with providing or enabling vaccinations, testing, or healthcare treatment of infected employees, including any paid leave. How Can I Prepare to Apply? Note: If links below do not open in your browser, try copying and pasting the Web address into a new browser window. You can visit the application website (https://usda-prs.grantsolutions.gov/) to read about the program and eligibility requirements. Applicants will be required to obtain a DUNS Number from Dun &amp; Bradstreet (D&amp;B) prior to applying for this program. D&amp;B has created a custom landing page to streamline this process. Visit the application website (https://usda-prs.grantsolutions.gov/) for more information. DO NOT register in the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to submitting your application to this program. After the application period closes, USDA will notify you if you are being considered for funding with the next steps for potentially receiving an award. This a forecast of anticipated dates. The synopsis and application package are not yet posted. Once finalized, the synopsis will be posted in Grants.gov, and the application materials will be posted on the application website (https://usda-prs.grantsolutions.gov/). All applications will be submitted on the application website. The application period will last approximately 45 calendar days.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: USDA PRS Helpdesk
GrantorContactText: USDA PRS Helpdesk