HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the NASDA Foundation’s USDA Northeast Regional Food Business Center, has launched the first round of Business Builder sub-awards, designed to strengthen Pennsylvania and regional food systems by providing direct funding to small- and mid-sized farm and food businesses, including aquaculture and wild-caught marine businesses. Ten million dollars are available in this round, with awards ranging from $15,000 to $100,000 to support businesses in scaling their operations, expanding markets and connecting segments of the regional food supply chain.

“Pennsylvania’s prime location near four of the 10 largest U.S. markets, coupled with our outstanding transportation infrastructure gives our agriculture businesses an edge, with access to the customers and markets they need to reach,” Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “Investing to strengthen those markets and supply chains makes sense for agriculture. This partnership with the NASDA Foundation’s USDA Northeast Regional Food Business Center multiplies the impact of the investments Governor Josh Shapiro’s Administration is making to strengthen Pennsylvania agriculture and increases our vitality as a regional food system.”

The Business Builder program will fund projects through three specialized funding tracks:

• Track 1: Equipment Acquisition ($25,000 to $50,000) Supports the purchase of specialized post-harvest equipment, such as wash-and-pack stations, refrigerated vans, cold storage units and food safety upgrades.

• Track 2: Business Development ($15,000 to $25,000) Provides funding for business planning, financial guidance, supply chain analysis, food safety training, workforce development and strategy development.

• Track 3: Product & Market Expansion ($50,000 to $100,000)

Assists businesses in expanding through new product development, market analysis, packaging supplies, kitchen appliances and software implementation. Applications will close April 7. Awardees will be announced in July, and funded projects will begin in August.

To support prospective applicants, the center published a pre-recorded webinar and will host a live informational webinar on March 27 to answer technical questions and provide guidance on the application process.

The USDA Northeast Regional Food Business Center was established in 2023 and is led by a collaborative structure that includes the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the NASDA Foundation, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Buffalo Go Green, Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement and various advisory councils.

The NASDA Foundation is the only educational and research organization that directly serves the nation’s state departments of agriculture. The NASDA Foundation’s mission is to enhance American food and agricultural communities through education, outreach and research. The NASDA Foundation works with states to nourish people and communities while serving as the stewards of the environment and public trust. To learn more about the NASDA Foundation, please visit nasda.org/nasda-foundation/.

For more details and to apply for the Business Builder subawards, visit the Northeast Regional Food Business Center website.