05/08/2026
$60 million in grant funding for meat and poultry processing equipment is a big deal for small and mid-sized processors.
If you've been considering an equipment upgrade, this is worth looking into.
USDA Rural Development has opened Phase Four of the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Grant Program. The primary purpose of MPPEP Phase 4 is to support the American Beef Industry by diversifying the meat and poultry supply chain and opening local market opportunities. The applicant’s facility must primary process cattle in order for the project to be eligible for the program, however, funds or equipment may be used for processing meat and poultry at the facility.
Grant funding in the amount of $60 million is available under this Program.
Applications will be accepted from May 7, 2026, through August 7, 2026. Applications must be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on August 7, 2026, through Grants.gov.
Two types of applications for each of the funding competitions will be accepted:
1. Processing Expansion Projects. Awards will range from $50,000 to $2 million to support a range of activities to increase and diversify processing capacity of American meat and poultry, including Equipment-only purchases over $250,000, and necessary improvements, upgrades, renovations or retrofits to an existing Facility needed to install the Equipment. A match requirement of 50 percent of the project cost is required for Processing Expansion Projects.
2. Simplified Equipment-Only Projects. Awards will range from $10,000 to $250,000 for projects that only request the cost of equipment and do not include renovation, labor, installation, or certification costs. A match requirement of 25 percent of the project cost is required for Simplified Equipment-Only Projects.
Visit https://aamp.com/page/grants for more details.
The home page for MPPEP Phase 4 is https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/business-programs/meat-and-poultry-processing-expansion-program-phase-4
The Grants.gov page for MPPEP Phase 4 is https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/362298