Tonko Announces $848K+ in Federal Grant Awards to Strengthen Capital Region Food Systems

ALBANY, NY - Congressman Paul D. Tonko announced today that two local nonprofit organizations, Capital Roots and Schenectady Greenmarket, have been awarded a combined $848,737 in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service. This funding, distributed through the Local Agriculture Market Program's (LAMP) Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Programs (FMLFPP), will help these community organizations create new market opportunities for small-scale agricultural producers across the Capital Region and facilitate the delivery of healthy, locally grown agricultural products to historically underserved local communities.

"I'm thrilled to celebrate these significant grant awards that will help foster stronger connections between our rural and urban communities and improve access to healthy, locally grown food," Congressman Tonko said. "These projects are crucial to supporting our Capital Region's small farmers while ensuring that every resident - especially those in underserved areas - has access to fresh, affordable, and nutritious food. These initiatives will empower local producers, provide economic opportunities, and enhance the health and well-being of our communities, and I'm excited to see them succeed in the coming years."

The recently announced grants for local nonprofit organizations include:

· $499,772 for Capital Roots' expanded and enhanced Farm-to-Institution Program. This program addresses the lack of connectivity between small-scale producers' desire to sell to institutions and the desire of those institutions to purchase local food. With this funding, Capital Roots will work with small-scale producers and institutional partners like schools and childcare centers to both support rural agricultural economies and increase access to quality food for underserved communities.

· $250,000 for Schenectady Greenmarket's project to increase vendor and customer participation and improve outreach and retention efforts. Schenectady Greenmarket will utilize the funding to help foster diversity among market vendors and customers through recruitment, outreach, and retention strategies, with a focus on historically underserved populations. Their project will also seek to support small-scale producers by providing new resources including mentorship opportunities, small business trainings, and a Vendor Success Toolkit.

· $98,965 for Capital Roots' Retail Market Program to support new market opportunities for Capital Region farm operations by cultivating retail spaces in disadvantaged neighborhoods. This project will implement a new Retail Market Promotion Plan - a multi-layered roadmap to increase sales of farm products in underserved communities using electronic, print, and public marketing. With this funding, Capital Roots will collaborate with local housing authorities, community builders, and small local farmers markets to promote access to fresh food across rural, urban, and suburban communities.

These significant funding awards come as part of $33.5 million awarded for 113 grant projects in 43 states and territories through the Local Agriculture Market Program's (LAMP) Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Programs (FMLFPP) and the Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) grant program. LAMP is a key piece of USDA's efforts to strengthen local and regional food systems, with over $220 million awarded to 597 projects since 2021 to expand market opportunities for small and mid-sized producers, keep more money within our local and rural economies, and build resilience in our food systems.

FMLFPP is implemented through two grant programs, the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP). The goal of these programs is to strengthen local and regional food businesses through projects that support farmers by creating targeted marketing capabilities, developing new markets, and supporting training on topics such as record keeping, fair pricing, family-friendly marketing, and agritourism activities.

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