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Transportation and Marketing

Local Meat Capacity Grant 

(Local MCAP) 

Overview 

The Local MCap grant program is targeted to support meat and poultry processors and rendering facilities 

with smaller-scale projects. The goal of this program is to increase processing availability and variety for 

local and regional livestock producers. Smaller-scale projects eligible for this program include equipment 

purchases and installation, facility and equipment upgrades, minor alterations and renovation, and 

capacity expansion. To read about the entire program please see the Local Meat Capacity Grant Request for 

Application (RFA).

• Application Opened: April 19, 2023

• Application Closes: July 19, 2023, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time 

Who is eligible?

Eligible applicants for Local MCap grants include individual, sole proprietor business or other business 

entities engaged in meat and poultry processing, including rendering animal carcasses or byproducts, 

including Tribes and Tribal Entities, for- profit entities, and State or local government entities. Private 

entities must be independently owned and operated. Applicants must be domestically owned, and their 

facilities must be physically located within the 50 States of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto 

Rico, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 

Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of 

the Marshall Islands.

Eligible entities must be currently operating and must process or plan to process one or more species 

subject to the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) or the Poultry Product Inspection Act (PPIA) and possess 
Agricultural Marketing Service

or plan to obtain a Federal Grant of Inspection, a grant of inspection under the Food Safety Inspection 

Service (FSIS) Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program, or a state meat and poultry inspection program 

with standards at least equal to Federal inspection at the time of application. Plants processing nonamenable species under voluntary FSIS or state inspection are also eligible to apply for funding. Additional 

definitions can be found in the RFA Section 3.1. 

What is the maximum grant amount?

• Processing Expansion Projects: Minimum - $100,000 Max: $5 million

• Simplified Equipment Only Projects: Minimum - $10,000 Maximum- $250,000

Is there a cost share or match required?

Processing Expansion Projects only require a match. Grant Recipients are required to contribute 50% of 

the total proposed project costs. 

Grant recipients that are Historically Underserved Farmers or Ranchers or for other businesses that qualify 

under the Small Business Administration (SBA) categories of Small Disadvantaged Business, WomenOwned Small Business, and Veteran-Owned Small Business, the match requirement is reduced to 25% of 

the total proposed project cost as a match to the federal funding. Applicants will be required to selfcertify in their Project Narrative to become eligible for this reduced match.

What can I use the funding for?

Processing Expansion Projects: Will fund grants to increase processing and/or rendering capacity. 

Funding requests that include building and facility upgrades, can include improvements to re-arrange 

and/or alterations to a facility that are required to use a space more effectively and to accommodate new 

or upgraded equipment and processes. 

Simplified Equipment Only Projects: This grant offers a simplified application to fund smaller grants for 

equipment purchases for meat and poultry processing or rendering facilities. This option is a Fixed Price 

Grant, meaning it will fund only new equipment purchases and the amount will equal the cost of the 

equipment up to $250,000. More information is in section 1.3 of the RFA.

More information

Visit the Local MCap website for additional information: www.ams.usda.gov/localmcap

For questions about Local MCap please see the program FAQs: 

www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/2023_LocalMCap_FAQ.pdf 

Technical Assistance: www.ams.usda.gov/mppta

Contact us

For questions about Local MCap after closely reviewing the RFA and FAQs, please email 

LocalMCap@usda.gov. 

June 2023 / www.ams.usda.gov

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.