The USDA has announced a request for applications for the new Pandemic Response and Safety (PRS) Grant program.
The USDA recently announced the new grant programs to help small producers who have not yet received federal assistance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The PRS Grant program will provide assistance to small businesses in certain commodity areas, including small scale specialty crop producers and processors, shellfish, aquaculture and other select producers, meat and other processors, distributors, and farmers’ markets. Approximately $650 million in funding is available for the PRS grants, which are funded by the Pandemic Assistance provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
For the PRS grants, eligibility details can be found in the Pandemic Response and Safety Grant Program forecast, located here: USDA-AMS-TM-PRS-G-21-0011. Eligible entities should visit the PRS grant portal at usda-prs.grantsolutions.gov for complete information on the program, including how to obtain a free-of-charge DUNS Number from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) before applying for this program.
Eligible entities are encouraged to apply, and applications must be submitted electronically through the grant portal at usda-prs.grantsolutions.gov/usda by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, Nov. 22, 2021. The minimum funding request is $1,500 and the maximum request is $20,000.
Application resources are available on the PRS Grant Portal.
Updated information regarding the PRS programs will be available on the Agricultural Marketing Service website: www.ams.usda.gov.