USDA Serving up $700 Million To Help Farm and Food Workers Impacted by COVID-19

Posted by Growing Produce Staff|Updated: September 17, 2021

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that $700 million in competitive grant funding will be available through the new Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) grant program to help farmworkers and meatpacking workers with pandemic-related health and safety costs.

The program, which is funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and is part of USDA’s Build Back Better efforts, is intended to defray costs for reasonable and necessary personal, family, or living expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as costs for personal protective equipment, dependent care, and expenses associated with quarantines and testing.

Funds will be awarded through grants to state agencies, Tribal entities, and non-profit organizations serving farmworkers and meatpacking workers ranging from $5 million to $50 million. USDA is setting aside $20 million for at least one pilot to provide targeted support to front-line grocery workers.

Eligible entities must demonstrate the capacity to reimburse farmworkers and meatpacking workers for up to $600 for expenses incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. USDA encourages grant applications that demonstrate trusted communications networks with farmworkers, meatpacking workers, and/or front-line grocery workers, as well as strong financial controls. The grant requires applicants to show connectedness to hard-to-reach worker populations either directly or in partnerships with other local organizations. Applicants should be able to describe how they will partner with smaller organizations to facilitate financial relief to such populations.

Applications for Farm and Food Workers Relief must be submitted online through Grants.gov. The Request for Application will be announced in early fall and will be open for 60 days. Additional information and technical assistance for applying to these grants and program updates will be provided by USDA when the application period opens.