The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) has announced it will distribute $3.6 million in grant funding for fiscal year 2026 to strengthen local food processing, aggregation, and distribution across the state. The announcement was made Wednesday at the Everything Local conference in Springfield.
Funds, appropriated through the FY26 state budget, will support a variety of projects: collaborative projects may receive grants ranging from $1,000 to $250,000, while individual projects are eligible for awards between $1,000 and $75,000.
Grant applications will open February 18 on the Illinois Department of Agriculture website.
Eligible applicants include Illinois residents and organizations involved in storing, processing, packaging, aggregating, or distributing value-added agricultural products, or those planning to do so. Applicants must fit one of the following categories:
Illinois farms with fewer than 50 employees
Illinois cooperatives with fewer than 50 employees
Illinois slaughter and/or processing facilities with fewer than 50 employees (must be USDA or state licensed, or be a custom exempt facility)
Illinois food businesses with fewer than 50 employees
Illinois food hubs with fewer than 50 employees
Illinois nonprofit organizations
Units of local government in Illinois
All grant funds must be used for purchasing, leasing to own, renting, building, or installing infrastructure related to the processing, storage, aggregation, or distribution of value-added agricultural products, to further expand the local food industry.
Interested applicants are encouraged to prepare by pre-registering with SAM.gov and the GATA Grantee Portal. More information about the program, helpful links, and application guidance can be found on the Illinois Department of Agriculture website.