How to Apply
Who can apply?
Tribal Governments of Indian tribes as defined by the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act (List Act) of 1994 (Pub. L. No. 103-454), their wholly owned arms and instrumentalities, or joint or multi tribal government entities are eligible to apply.
Processing businesses owned by non-tribal-governmental entities, including individual tribal members, are not eligible for funding under this program. Those individuals and businesses may apply to other USDA funding opportunities, such as those published at www.usda.gov/meat.
What are the eligible species?
Grant applications may propose activities related to:
- Amenable species, including Siluriformes, that fall within the regulatory jurisdiction of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.
- Non-amenable species, including but not limited to bison, reindeer, game meat, etc. Seafood processing, including wild-caught fish, and other ‘exotic’ species that may fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Additionally, Applicants will follow applicable Tribal, local, state or federal laws and regulations for harvesting, hunting and gathering of indigenous animals.
When can I submit an application?
Eligible applicants can submit an application to AMS for 2023 Request for Application by July 19, 2023.
What are the application requirements?
Eligible applicants can find the requirements for submitting an application in the most recent published Request for Applications. Applications must be received before 11:59 Eastern Time on July 19, 2023 through Grants.gov. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered for funding.
How do I apply for a grant?
- Prior to submitting an application, confirm that your organization is registered with Grants.gov and the System for Award Management (SAM).
- Follow the application instructions and submission requirements in the RFA and Grants.gov Application Guide (pdf).
- To be considered for funding, all required forms must be submitted as part of a complete application package. Your application will not be considered if all required forms are not submitted together, you should review AMS’ Late Applications, Denials and/or Appeal Procedures (pdf) for further information.
- Submit application through Grants.gov.
- If you missed the deadline due to an extenuating circumstance, you should review AMS’ Late Applications, Denials and/or Appeal Procedures (pdf) for further information.
- Grants.gov issues emails to the applicant providing the submission receipt number, submission validation receipt, and Grantor Agency Retrieval notification. AMS sends confirmation of grant application receipt.
What are other resources I should consider?
Grants.gov offers applicant trainings and resources and offers support when submitting an application. If you need Grants.gov support, contact the Grants.gov Support Center at support@grants.gov or visit their Support page.
There is a lot of work that goes into applying for grants, and if you’re awarded one, there are additional commitments that you need to meet. You can find free grant training resources at cfo.gov/grants/training/.
If you have any questions about applying for an AMS grant, feel free to contact the grant program’s point of contact listed in the RFA or AMSGrants@usda.gov.
USDA AMS offers no-cost technical assistance to applicants to help prepare grant applications through its Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity - Technical Assistance Program (MPPTA). Applicants are encouraged to contact the MPPTA network of providers for broad-scope technical support from pre-application to post-award grant management, business planning and processing operational resources, and supply chain development expertise, and resources specific to historically underserved USDA stakeholders. Visit www.ams.usda.gov/mppta to connect with these services.
Current Application Resources
- 2023 IAG Request for Applications (PDF, 576 KB)
- IAG Application Checklist (DOCX, 63.8 KB)
- SF 424 Forms can be found with the www.grants.gov website application submission
- Project Narrative Template (DOCX, 157 KB)
- IAG Fact Sheet (PDF, 166 KB)
- IAG Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 196 KB)
- NEPA Environmental Checklist for Construction Activities (PDF, 241 KB)
- Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity - Technical Assistance Program (MPPTA)
