$3.6 Million in Grants Available to Strengthen Local Food Infrastructure

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has announced $3.6 million in grant funding to support local food processing, aggregation, and distribution projects across the state. The funding is intended to help strengthen the infrastructure needed to get Illinois-grown food from farms to consumers.

Grant awards will be available for collaborative projects ranging from $1,000 to $250,000 and for individual projects ranging from $1,000 to $75,000. Eligible uses include purchasing or installing equipment and facilities related to processing, storage, aggregation, or distribution of value-added agricultural products.

Eligible applicants include small Illinois farms, cooperatives, food businesses, food hubs, processing facilities, nonprofit organizations, and units of local government with fewer than 50 employees. Slaughter and processing facilities must be properly licensed or qualify as custom-exempt facilities.

Applications for funding will open on February 18, 2026, on the Illinois Department of Agriculture website. Interested applicants are encouraged to prepare by registering with SAM.gov and the GATA Grantee Portal. Additional program details and guidance are available through the Department of Agriculture's website.