Eligibility
Q: Who is eligible to apply for these funds?
A: Eligible entities include the State agencies, commissions, or departments in eligible States that are responsible for agriculture, fisheries, wildlife, seafood, commercial processing, or related commerce activities within the State. AMS will make only one award per State or territory; agencies within the State must coordinate if more than one agency wishes to implement this program. Eligible State agencies who do not apply for or do not request all available funding during the specified grant application period will forfeit all or that portion of available funding not requested.
Eligible States include: Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, as well as the territory of American Samoa.
Q: How much funding is available for my state?
A:
| State Agency | Available Grant Allocation |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $200,000 |
| Alaska | $30,694,746 |
| American Samoa | $792,209 |
| California | $510,912 |
| Connecticut | $200,000 |
| Delaware | $200,000 |
| Florida | $516,208 |
| Georgia | $200,000 |
| Hawaii | $200,000 |
| Louisiana | $4,229,669 |
| Maine | $850,184 |
| Maryland | $222,673 |
| Massachusetts | $1,104,725 |
| Michigan | $200,000 |
| Mississippi | $1,606,446 |
| New Hampshire | $200,000 |
| New Jersey | $826,807 |
| New York | $200,000 |
| North Carolina | $279,234 |
| Oregon | $1,532,089 |
| Rhode Island | $371,412 |
| South Carolina | $200,000 |
| Texas | $353,135 |
| Virginia | $1,853,268 |
| Washington | $2,426,509 |
Q: Who are the eligible beneficiaries for these funds?
A: State agencies will provide funds to seafood processing facilities and processing vessels, including at-sea processors or dealers. Each processing facility or vessel may apply separately for funding. Processors may only apply once for each location or vessel.
Processor means the owner, operator, dealer, or agent responsible for any activity that changes the physical condition of a fisheries resource suitable for human consumption, retail sale, industrial uses, or long-term storage, including cooking, canning, smoking, salting, drying, shucking, filleting, freezing, or rendering into meal or oil. Any owner, operator, dealer, or agent exclusively gutting, gilling, heading, or icing seafood without performing any of the above activities is not considered a processor.
At-sea processor means a vessel or other platform that floats and can be moved from one location to another, whether in State waters or water of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), receiving fish and operating as a processor.
Dealer means an entity that first receives fish by way of purchase and sells directly to restaurants, markets, other dealers, processors, or consumers without substantially altering the product.
Q: What kinds of activities are eligible for grant funds?
A: Grants will cover the following outcomes and activities:
- Workplace Safety Measures: Workplace safety measures, including, but not limited to, personal protective equipment, sanitizer, hand washing stations, air filters, thermometers, cleaning supplies, or similar items.
- Market Pivots: Market pivots such as transition to virtual/online sales costs (online platform development and fees, online marketing, credit card processing fees), supplies, new signage.
- Retrofitting Facilities: Retrofitting facilities for worker and consumer safety (retrofitting harvester vessels for onboard vessel processing to maximize open-air activities, plexiglass, walk up windows, heat lamps, fans, tents, propane, weights, tables, chairs).
- Transportation: Additional transportation costs incurred to maintain social distancing.
- Worker Housing: Additional worker housing costs incurred to maintain social distancing or to allow for quarantining of new or exposed employees.
- Medical: Unreimbursed costs associated with providing or enabling vaccinations, testing, or healthcare treatment of infected employees, including any paid leave.
Q: Is there cost sharing or matching funds required?
A: No cost sharing or matching funds are required. All SPRS awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the SPRS General Terms and Conditions.
Q: If I am a company incorporated in one State, but have facilities in multiple States, do I apply for funds only from the State that I am incorporated, or do I apply for funds where each of my facilities are located?”
A: Eligible entities should apply to the states where each of the facilities are physically located, assuming those facilities are located within states that are eligible for the SPRS grant funding.
Q: Can a seafood processor request funding for lost revenue under the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety (SPRS) Grant?
A: No. The Seafood Pandemic Response and Safety (SPRS) Grant Program is authorized under section 751 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (Pub. L. No. 116-260) to provide grants and loans to seafood processors and processing vessels for costs incurred in response to the coronavirus pandemic, including for measures to protect workers against novel coronavirus (COVID–19). As authorized by the CAA and outlined in the SPRS Request for Applications (RFA), SPRS funds will be used for costs incurred in response to COVID-19. The approved eligible categories are: Workplace Safety Measures, Market Pivots, Retrofitting Facilities, Transportation, Worker Housing and Medical. For example, the eligible entity could apply for funds to reimburse costs associated with an employee’s paid sick leave or worker housing for quarantine due to COVID. However, lost revenue due to spoilage or foregone production would not be eligible for reimbursement under the SPRS Grant.
Application Process
Q: How do I apply for SPRS funding?
A: Before your organization can apply for a federal grant, there are several steps an organization must complete outside of Grants.gov prior to submitting an application through Grants.gov. An organization is an entity that submits grant applications on behalf of the group, such as a state government, nonprofit organization, or a private business. View complete instructions.
The applicant organization registration process can take up to a few weeks to complete due to registration in https://www.sam.gov. Therefore, complete your registration allowing enough time to ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required application submission deadlines.
Q: How long does the application process take?
A: It is currently estimated to take 7 to 8 weeks from application to issuance of grant award funds.
Review Process and Applicant Notifications
Q: What happens after I submit my application?
A: Applications that meet the selection criteria will be deemed eligible for funding consideration. If an application does not meet these requirements, it will be removed from consideration.
Funding will be awarded after the close of the application and review periods. If an application is approved for funding, USDA will send a Notice of Award to the application point of contact, using a secure link sent via email. The Notice of Award will include instructions for accepting funds.
Q: What are the selection criteria?
A: Each application is reviewed using the following criteria:
- The application was submitted and received by USDA before the application deadline.
- The applicant is an eligible entity.
- The required forms are complete and accurate.
Q: What are the recordkeeping requirements for grant recipients?
A: For this grant, recipients should maintain sufficient records and documentation to demonstrate that costs were incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the eligible expense categories as attested to in your application.
Grant recipients are required to maintain all records pertaining to the grant for a period of 3 years after the final financial report, as described in the Notice of Award, has been submitted to USDA AMS, in accordance with Federal recordkeeping regulations. This requirement is provided in 2 CFR § 200.334 and the general award terms and conditions, which are available on the USDA PRS Application Portal