Institute of Museum and Library Services: American Rescue Plan Grants

Deadline: June 28, 2021

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) American Rescue Plan grants program supports museum and library services in addressing community needs created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and in assisting with recovery. Projects may continue, enhance, or expand existing programs and services, or they may launch new ones to address emergent needs and unexpected hardships.

The IMLS American Rescue Plan grant program has two program goals and three objectives associated with each goal. Each applicant should align their proposed project with one of these two goals and one or more of the associated objectives.

Goal 1: Strengthen the institutional capacity of museums, libraries, and related organizations to respond to community needs quickly, effectively, efficiently, and responsibly.
* Objective 1.1: Advance digital inclusion through approaches that may include, but are not limited to, improving digital platforms, online services, connectivity (e.g., hotspots), and creating digital literacy programs, as well as creating new processes and procedures needed to sustain a robust online environment.
* Objective 1.2: Support hiring new staff and training or retraining existing staff to ensure a workforce that has the appropriate knowledge, skills, and abilities.
* Objective 1.3: Build community-focused partnerships, networks, and alliances with organizations such as other nonprofits, school systems, service organizations, community groups, government agencies, and institutions of higher education with an emphasis on complementing, rather than duplicating, resources and services.

Goal 2: Increase the ability of museums, libraries, and related organizations to deliver programs and services that contribute to the well-being of families, groups, and individuals of all cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
* Objective 2.1: Support the creation and delivery of online and in-person educational, interpretive, and experiential programs and exhibitions for learners of all ages.
* Objective 2.2: Provide trusted spaces for community engagement and dialogue to foster recovery and rebuilding.
* Objective 2.3: Support efforts to collect, preserve, manage, and interpret documentary sources and tangible objects representing all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic experience.

Amount: $15,000,000 is available to award grants that range form $10,000-$50,000. The project period is one year. A cost stare that is equal to or greater than the request amount is required.

Eligibility: An applicant must meet the eligibility requirements of a Museum Entity, a Library Entity, a Federally Recognized Tribe, or a Nonprofit Organization that Primarily Serves and Represents Native Hawaiians. See solicitation for entity definitions.

Link: https://www.imls.gov/grants/available/imls-american-rescue-plan ... See more

New Mexico Finance Authority: Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) Recovery Grants

The LEDA Recovery Grants were created by the State of New Mexico in the 2021 Legislative Session by House Bill 11 to provide $200 million in grant funding to New Mexico small businesses that are experiencing financial hardship due to the pandemic. These grants are specifically tied to job creation, must be used as reimbursements of rent, lease or mortgage payments, and are prioritized based on the severity of economic decline experienced by the business.

Amount: Grants range up to $100,000 in total or $25,000 per quarter distribution.

Grant amounts are determined by two factors:
1) The rent, lease, or mortgage payments that a business makes for its building. The grant amount will never be more than the amount of these payments.
2) A calculation based on revenue decline combined with the number and type of jobs created by the business (see New Mexico Finance Authority website for more details).

Eligibility:
* A business or nonprofit operating in New Mexico
* A business that has at least one but fewer than 75 full-time or part-time employees employed at any of the business’s locations
* A business that is current on all state and local tax obligations, and
* A business that experienced a decline in business revenue between comparable quarters in taxable years 2019 and 2020

Deadline: June 15, 2021

Link: https://www.nmfinance.com/leda-recovery-grants/ ... See more

U.S. Department of Agriculture: Local Food Promotion Program

Deadline: June 21, 2021

The Local Food Promotion Program funds projects that develop, coordinate, and expand local and regional food business enterprises that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer to consumer marketing to help increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products. The program focuses on:

* Supporting and promoting local and regional food business enterprises that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer-to-consumer marketing
* Supporting the processing, aggregation, distribution, and storage of local and regional food products that are marketed locally or regionally, including value-added agricultural products
* Encouraging the development of value-added agricultural products;
* Assisting with business development plans and feasibility studies
* Developing marketing strategies for producers of local food products and value-added agricultural products in new and existing markets
* Facilitating regional food chain coordination and mid-tier value chain development
* Promoting new business opportunities and marketing strategies to reduce on-farm food waste
* Responding to changing technology needs in indirect producer-to-consumer marketing
* Covering expenses to cost incurred in obtaining food safety certification related and improvements to food safety practices and equipment

There are two different project types: Planning and Implementation.

Planning projects are used in the planning stages of developing, coordinating, or expanding a food business that supports locally and regionally produced agricultural products and food system infrastructure. Activities include developing, coordinating, and expanding such businesses. Projects may include, but are not limited to:

* Completing a feasibility study for a new intermediary food channel (i.e., food hub), to analyze market potential, capacity, and potential competitors, and partners in the region.
* Hiring experts for technical assistance to implement a local/regional food transportation system to assist in COVID response and recovery efforts.
* Hiring experts for training on managing a local/regional food storage or processing facility.
* Devising a business development plan associated with the processing/marketing of local/regional agricultural products, including value-added agricultural products.
* Development of strategies and/or above practices to support and partner with other organizations affected by the pandemic. This could allow larger, more experienced entities to support smaller organizations who could also benefit from a federal grant.
* Developing tools, techniques, or practices that can be rapidly adopted by local agriculture markets, including those that provide direct financial support to a network of markets to assist in COVID response and recovery efforts.

Implementation projects are used to establish a new food business or to improve or expand an existing food business that supports locally and regionally produced agricultural products and food system infrastructure. Activities include developing, coordinating, or expanding such businesses. Projects may include, but are not limited to:

* Developing or expanding food incubator programs or mid-tier value chains to assist in COVID response and recovery efforts.
* Instituting group-based Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certification for sellers of food into institutional or wholesale marketing channels, including providing financial support for making changes and upgrades to practices and equipment to improve food safety.
* Cultivating new wholesale market channels through an online portal or virtual marketplace potentially in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
* Investigating and implementing more cost-effective means of transportation for food supply chains through backhaul, route optimization, and/or other operational efficiencies.
* Developing strategies and/or above practices to support and partner with other organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This could allow larger, more experienced entities to support smaller organizations who could also benefit from a federal grant.
* Developing tools, techniques, or practices that can be rapidly adopted by local agriculture markets, including those that provide direct financial support to a network of markets to assist in COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.

Amount:
* Planning grants: $25,000-$200,000
* Implementation grants: $100,000-$750,000

A match of 10% or 25% is required depending on the funding source legislation.

Eligibility: Agricultural Businesses or Cooperatives, Producer Networks or Associations, CSA Networks or Associations, Food Councils, Local Governments, Nonprofit Corporations, Public Benefit Corporations, Economic Development Corporations, Regional Farmers Market Authorities, Tribal Governments.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=333340
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