Maryland Postharvest Infrastructure Grant Program

The Maryland Department of Agriculture announced the launch of the Postharvest Infrastructure Grant Program (PHI), making $1.6 million available to establish new and improve existing cold storage and delivery networks in rural communities throughout Maryland. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4ugJOwk

DEADLINE TO APPLY: June 14, 2026

Eligible Applicants: 

• Agricultural producers or seafood processors: Individual agricultural producers, as well as organized groups of producers and seafood processors.  This category is a priority.
• Nonprofit organizations: Must have 501(c)(3) status, be registered as a charity with the Maryland Secretary of State and be involved in postharvest storage of local agricultural products.
• Local government entities: Municipal or county governments involved in postharvest storage of local agricultural products.
• Institutions: Universities and hospitals seeking to establish shared infrastructure or equipment to support postharvest handling and storage for multiple local producers.

Potential Projects Key Categories: 

• Cold storage infrastructure: Purchase walk-in coolers and freezers, backup generators, and upgrade climate control systems, such as smart thermostats or defrost controls.
• Transportation and fleet upgrades: Acquire refrigerated trucks or retrofit existing farm and distribution vehicles.
• Distribution logistics and technology: Implement route optimization software, cold chain data loggers and inventory tracking systems.
• Handling and loading infrastructure: Upgrade loading dock, purchase material handling equipment and add commercial transport sanitation stations.
• Food safety modernization: Invest in commercial-grade sanitization systems, storage facility food-safety upgrades, environmental monitoring and traceability software

Individual grants have a minimum of $30,000 with no maximum or match requirement.  Ten percent of the grant can go towards administrative costs. All projects are subject to funding availability and final approval by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Grant Deadline:

June 14, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET

To Apply:

Interested applicants are encouraged to review the complete PHI Request for Proposals and apply online via the Foundant application portal.

Information Sessions:

The MDA Postharvest Infrastructure Information Session will provide an overview of the grant opportunity, eligibility requirements and application guidelines.

• Wednesday,  May 27, 2026: 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET

Register here!