AGRI Urban Agriculture Grant Q&A

Projects serving Tribal communities located within the boundaries of federally recognized Tribal land are eligible regardless of population size – and are not required to meet the additional eligibility requirement of being located in or serving communities located in a city with a population over 5,000.

At this time, we only need a personal attestation that none of your current board members or staff with authority to access grant funds have been convicted of felony financial crime in the last 10 years. There is a question about this on the application.

Each application is evaluated in full by reviewers using the project evaluation profile in the RFP. All members of the committee review those evaluations.

Yes, both grants are disbursed on a reimbursement basis. This means that you will use personal funds for all purchases and will then submit the required documentation to request reimbursement for eligible items based on your budget. You must document 100% of eligible expenses to then receive a 75% reimbursement after submission of invoices.

No. Donated and in-kind contributions cannot be counted towards the cash match requirement.

No. State grant funds cannot be used as matching funds. However, non-forgivable loans from the State may be used as a match.

$75,000 is the maximum amount you can request for the total grant project. You have up to three years to spend your total awarded amount but cannot receive more than $75,000 during the 3-year grant cycle.

Post-secondary institutions are eligible to apply for an AGRI Urban Ag Grant. The entities included in the RFP are examples of who can be funded, but are not exclusive. So long as the project is focused on youth urban ag education or urban ag-based community development, and meets the other eligibility requirements, it would be eligible.

The AGRI Urban Agriculture Grant does not allow IDC as a part of this grant.

Yes, multiple cities could collaborate on a project for the AGRI Urban Agriculture Grant program. Each of the cities will still be required to meet one of the following location requirements for this grant program:

• Cities with a population over 5,000, or
• Located within the boundaries of federally recognized Tribal land and serving Tribal community members, regardless of population size.

Yes, collaborations are allowed. For organizations submitting a joint application, the fiscal sponsor would be the main applicant and the entity responsible for signing the grant contract agreement. A letter of support from community members should demonstrate the commitment from the fiscal sponsor to the collaboration.

Yes. Letters of support can be written by community partners or community members who may directly benefit from the project. You must include at least one letter of support in the application to help demonstrate community support for the project.

There is no issue with applying for multiple grant programs through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Yes, you could apply for both grants in fiscal year 2026 if you feel you have different projects that fall under each category.

You can submit one application per grant program. If you have unique projects that you could manage for both the Youth Education Grant and the Community and Economic Development Grant, you could submit one application for each grant.

No. If you have strong project plans for both grant categories, you could submit one application for the Youth Education Grant and a separate application for the Community and Economic Development Grant. However, if you submit two applications for the Youth Education Grant, you would only be eligible to receive one.

No, you would not be eligible to receive funds to start a retail food business through the AGRI Urban Agriculture Grant program.

Yes, this project would be an eligible project for the AGRI Urban Agriculture Grant program as long as it was located in or served children located in eligible locations as defined by the RFP.

No, an event that draws an audience of 5,000+ people does not meet the eligibility requirements for the AGRI Urban Agriculture Grant program. In order to qualify for this program, applicants must be located in or serve communities that meet one of the following criteria:

• Cities with a population over 5,000, or
• Located within the boundaries of federally recognized tribal land and serving tribal community members, regardless of population size.

Yes, this type of project would be an eligible project for this grant.

Yes, this type of project would be eligible under this grant program. Raising or processing livestock is an aspect of urban agriculture.

It depends on who is benefiting from the project. If it only benefits you or your household, it would not be eligible. If it is benefiting multiple community members, multiple growers, or is educating multiple youth, it could potentially be an eligible project.

Yes, as long as this project also meets the location eligibility requirement of either serving youth located in a city of 5,000 or more or being located on Tribal land.

This project may be eligible for the Community and Economic Development Grant if it is benefiting multiple growers or community members.

Growing an existing program would be eligible for funding, however there are no recommendations about the best size or scale for a project. Keep in mind that the grant will only cover eligible expenses that occur after your contract start date, and does not cover anything created previously.

All expenses must be incurred and paid for by the contract end date, which is three years from the contract start date.

Yes. Grant contracts may last a full three years from start date, but they can be completed earlier.

No, but all reimbursement payments must correspond to the approved grant budget and tied to documented progress working on the approved project. In the application, you must complete a budget table and a project work plan and timeline.

The MDA will reimburse within 30 days of a reimbursement request. We will review each request against the approved grant budget, grant expenditures to-date, and the latest grant progress report before approving payment. Typically, reimbursement requests must include two types of proof for each expense. Final requests for reimbursement must be submitted to us no later than 45 calendar days after the grant expiration (end) date.

Currently, funds for the AGRI Urban Agriculture Grants are secured at the state level, and we will be offering them in fiscal year 2027.