- Higher operating costs related to cleaning requirements and social distancing requirements, including costs related to outside contracting associated with managing social distancing, limited occupancy, and cleaning
- Infrastructure improvement, including renovation, new construction or adaptive reuse directly related to COVID-19 needs
- Equipment purchases that improve the availability and quality of fresh food, such as additional refrigeration to manage volume; or personal protective equipment such as plexiglass separators
- Inventory (higher costs of goods, higher transportation or delivery costs of procuring Pennsylvania-grown produce, meat and dairy products, or loss of product)
- Innovative food access technology or delivery of food to retail that assists the healthy food access efforts of eligible applicants, such as infrastructure needs for online customer purchasing options, mobile or pop-up farmers markets, or mobile EBT reader technology
- Costs to expand access to Pennsylvania grown or processed produce, dairy and meat products to provide stable market access for Pennsylvania farmers that have lost or limited markets due to COVID-19 disruptions
- Other one-time or increased expenses incurred related to COVID-19 (hazard pay, or any employee wage or benefit are not eligible uses of funds for this program)
Award Amounts
Awarded applicants will receive funding amounts based on their eligible expenses and other criteria up to a max amount based on the categories of businesses outlined below. Criteria may need to be modified somewhat in different geographic settings, since population density can play a role in the total square footage of food retail.
- Large or Regional Anchor Supermarkets – up to $1 million per operator
- Operator is defined as a company or chain of stores, and one application must be submitted on behalf of any eligible stores within a chain or company. Justification must be provided that each store is eligible.
- Company operates one or more retail locations in eligible census tracts collectively totaling more than 100k retail square feet
- Full service Traditional Grocery Stores – up to $500,000 per operator
- Operator is defined as a company or chain of stores, and one application must be submitted on behalf of any eligible stores within a chain or company. Justification must be provided that each store is eligible.
- Company operates one or more retail locations in eligible census tracts totaling more than 30k retail square feet
- Neighborhood markets and Food Enterprises – Up to $100,000 per operator
- Company operates one or more retail locations in eligible census tracts, or operates a Food Enterprise that sells directly to retail settings located in eligible census tracts and provides Pennsylvania grown or processed products
- On-farm markets and stands, farmers markets, urban farms and community gardens with retail sales are eligible under this category
- For this category only, a single application may be submitted on behalf of a farmers market to cover overall market expenses and/or expenses for multiple vendors. A single vendor may also submit an individual application if the market is not submitting an overall application or if there are expenses limited only to their business. Applications submitted on behalf of a single farmers market vendor, on-farm markets and stands, urban farms and community gardens are limited to $15,000.
Prioritization will be given to projects that:
- Are located in, owned by, or primarily serve historically disadvantaged BIPOC communities. Eligibility for this prioritization will be determined by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania's municipal data and eligible historically disadvantaged Black, Indigenous, and Person of Color (BIPOC) communities are defined as municipalities with a BIPOC population of 50 percent or higher or a BIPOC population greater than 700 people.
- Promote supplier diversity and where possible, increase business opportunities for Minority Business Enterprises, Women Business Enterprises, Service-Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises, Veteran Business Enterprises, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Business Enterprises; and Disability-Owned Business Enterprises.
- Are located in or serve a USDA-designated Food Desert.
- To determine eligibility, go to USDA Food Access Research Atlas and type in address of business or search area served using low-income and low-access overlays.
- Applicants may also submit more recent data or studies if applicable.
- For large or regional anchor supermarket projects, those with a match will be prioritized.
How to Apply and Timeline
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (department) will accept applications until August 14, 2020. If you have any questions about the application process, contact Michael Roth at michroth@pa.gov.
The department will review the application, schedule a phone call with the applicant, and conduct additional research to determine whether the project meets the program's eligibility.
To apply for funding, the applicant must submit the on-line Electronic Single Application for Assistance located at www.esa.dced.state.pa.us. In addition to the Electronic Single Application for Assistance, the applicant should provide the following items when applying for the grant. All items should be attached electronically to the ESA submission. Awarded grants are reimbursement grants, so applicants are responsible to spend all funds prior to submitting for reimbursement.
Accessing Funds
Following approval of an application, a grant agreement will be electronically issued to the applicant explaining the terms and conditions of the grant along with a Federal Funding Accountability & Transparency Act (FFATA) Form. The grant agreement must be electronically signed and returned within 30 days or the offer may be withdrawn. The FFATA Form must be returned with signed grant agreement or the grant contract will not be processed.
One fully executed copy of the grant agreement will be returned to the applicant with a payment request form and instructions for requesting payment. Applicants must submit one payment request at the end of the eligible period seeking reimbursement for actual eligible expenditures. Support documentation will include receipts for cost incurred, justification of how expenses match the proposed budget, and justification for how expenses were related to COVID-19.
Other Requirements
Employers and businesses must have been, and remain, in compliance with all relevant laws, orders, and regulations during the period of the COVID-19 disaster emergency under the Governor's proclamation dated March 6, 2020, and any and all subsequent renewals. The foregoing includes, but is not limited to, orders by the Governor, Secretary of Health, or other commonwealth officials empowered to act during the emergency. Any noncompliant businesses will be ineligible for funding under this program and may be required to return all, or a portion, of the funds awarded under the program.
Project Records
The applicant must maintain full and accurate records with respect to the project and must ensure adequate control over related parties in the project. The program office requires access to such records, as well as the ability to inspect all work, pay records, time statements, invoices, materials, and other relevant records at reasonable times and places. Upon request of the program office, the applicant must furnish all data, reports, contracts, documents, and other information relevant to the project.
Compliance Requirements
Fund payments are subject to the following requirements in the Uniform Guidance (2 C.F.R. Part 200): 2 C.F.R. § 200.303 regarding internal controls, 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.330 through 200.332 regarding subrecipient monitoring and management, and subpart F regarding audit requirements.
Conflict of Interest Provision
An officer, director, member, or employee of an applicant who is a party to or has a private interest in a project shall disclose the nature and extent of the interest to the governing body of the applicant and may neither vote on action of the applicant concerning the project nor participate in the deliberations of the applicant concerning the project. Additionally, the applicant's board members and directors must complete an annual financial disclosure statement.
Nondiscrimination
No assistance shall be awarded to an applicant under this program unless the applicant certifies to the department that they will not discriminate against any employee or against any person seeking employment by reason of race, gender, creed, color, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or in violation of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, age, sex, national origin, handicap or disability, or in violation of any applicable local, state, or federal laws. All contracts for work to be paid with program assistance must contain the commonwealth's official nondiscrimination clause.
Financial Audit
A Recipient or Sub-Recipient that expends $750,000 or more in federal awards during its fiscal year is required to provide the appropriate single or Program-Specific Audit in accordance with the provisions outlined in 2 CFR § 200.501.