2026 (LASA) Local Agriculture and Seafood Act
Contract Overview
Solicitation details, issuing organization, response deadlines, documents, and interested companies for this government contract opportunity.
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The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Division of Agriculture, is administering the 2026 Local Agriculture and Seafood Act (LASA) Grant Program to support the growth, development, and marketing of local food and seafood. The program will distribute approximately $450,000 in grants, with a maximum award of $20,000 per farmer, individual, business, or non-profit organization. A specialized $50,000 carve-out is dedicated to regenerative agriculture projects that align with the 2021 Act on Climate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve soil health. Eligible applicants include for-profit farms, fisheries, and other food businesses, as well as underserved producers such as women, veterans, and beginning or small-scale operators. Funding priorities focus on enhancing market readiness, expanding distribution channels, protecting agricultural land, and improving food safety compliance through FSMA and HACCP standards. Projects may last up to 24 months, with administrative costs capped at 10% of the total budget. Applications must be submitted via the eCivis portal by December 4, 2026, and must include a detailed budget and a plan for long-term sustainability. Awards are determined by the LASA Advisory Committee based on a scoring rubric that evaluates the nature of the application, technical feasibility, and return on investment. Grantees are required to submit interim reports by June 30, 2027, and a final report by August 31, 2029, to remain eligible for future funding.
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Organization & Contact Information
Full Description
The LASA Advisory Committee sets priorities each grant year and makes recommendations to the Director of the RIDEM. Applicants are required to fulfil at least one (not all) of the funding priorities listed below.
• Support the entry, growth, and long-term sustainability of new, beginning, small, women, veteran, and other underserved or under-invested producers across Rhode Island's agriculture, aquaculture, and commercial fishing sectors, including producers of food, nursery crops, flowers, fiber, and other agricultural products.
• Support the growth, viability, and market readiness of Rhode Island agriculture, aquaculture, and commercial fishing businesses, including investments that improve business operations, increase production capacity, expand markets, or make it easier to bring products to market.
• Support the long-term sustainability and availability of Rhode Island's agricultural, aquaculture, and commercial fishing businesses by investing in farmland access and protection, succession and transition planning, and intergenerational transfer of land, knowledge, skills, and operations.
• Support climate-smart agriculture and aquaculture practices, including climate change mitigation and adaptation activities that strengthen the resilience and sustainability of Rhode Island's agricultural, aquaculture, and fishing businesses.
• Support the development of new marketing, promotion, sales, and distribution channels that help Rhode Island farms, aquaculture operations, and fishers reach new and existing markets, including communities with limited access to fresh, local food.
• Support the development of new and value-added products, including investments in value-added processing capacity that benefit Rhode Island agricultural, aquaculture, and fishing businesses.
• Support on-farm and on-business food safety improvements, including FSMA, HACCP, and other applicable food safety requirements.
Regenerative Agriculture Specialized Funding:
• Support and prioritize regenerative agriculture projects that help Rhode Island farmers adopt and expand practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase carbon sequestration, improve soil health, reduce nutrient runoff, strengthen farm resilience, and enhance the long-term sustainability of Rhode Island's agricultural sector.
MINIMUM & MAXIMUM AWARD The maximum grant award available to a farmer, individual, business (e.g., LLC) or non-profit organization is $20,000. Overhead and/or administrative costs are limited to 10% of total budget proposal. PROJECT LENGTH Projects may be up to 24 months in duration. Grantees are responsible for interim and final reports. Interim reports are due on June 30, 2027, and final reports are due on June 30, 2028. Any grantees who do not provide timely interim and final grant reports will be ineligible for future LASA Grant Program funding. PROJECT TIMELINE (Dates subject to change) OCTOBER 15, 2026 Request for Proposals (RFP) released December 4, 2026, at 11:59 PM Application Deadline MARCH 2027 Award Decisions Announced APRIL 2027 Grant Agreement Execution JUNE 30, 2027 All Grant Funds Obligated AUGUST 31, 2029 Final Report Due
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