AGC Technical Assistance and Equipment Microgrant Program 

AGC Fall 2026 Technical Assistance and Equipment Microgrant Program

Artisan Grain Collaborative (AGC) is excited to announce a special round of microgrant funding available to Midwest grain chain participants engaged in the Lake Michigan K-12 school food system. Grain chain participants in the Lake Michigan K-12 school food system include farmers, cleaners, millers, bakers, food businesses, food hubs and distributors, researchers, and K-12 schools operating in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Funding for this microgrant round is possible through 

a Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub Grant. 

Request for Applications

AGC seeks applications to award microgrants of $2,500-$5,000 to fund technical assistance and equipment needs that will support Midwest grain chain entities and K-12 schools and school districts in increasing knowledge about and use of local and regional grains and grain-based products in K-12 school meal programs. These grants are intended to infuse target amounts of capital to remove specific barriers and immediately increase the capacity of the regional grainshed. Because of this intention, funds must be spent within 90 days of receipt. 

Please read the application materials and instructions in full before submitting an application. Materials include eligibility requirements, examples of allowable/unallowable costs (Table 1), and program timeline. The application questions are listed at the bottom of this page for your review before applying. You can also download a PDF of the questions here.

Eligibility Requirements 

Applicants must be one of the following:

• A grain chain participant in AGC’s seven state region of IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI growing or processing food-grade grains (e.g., farmers, millers, cleaners, bakers, food businesses, researchers) and either already working with K-12 schools in IL, IN, MI, or WI or seriously interested in doing so

• A K-12 school or school district located in Lake Michigan’s 4-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin already working with or seriously interested in working with local and regionally grown grains and/or grain-based products as part of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP). Schools and school districts may be public as well as nonprofit charter and private schools operating the NSLP and/or SBP.

• A support organization or food hub in AGC’s seven state region of IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI providing on-the-ground technical assistance, logistics, and communications in service of getting more local and regional grains into K-12 schools in IL, IN, MI, or WI

While it is required that participating K-12 school applicants must be located in Lake Michigan’s 4-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin, grain farmers, processors, bakers, food businesses, and support organizations or food hubs applying may be located in AGC’s broader 7-state region so long as they currently serve or intend to serve K-12 schools in IL, IN, MI and WI.

Additionally, applicants must:

• Demonstrate existing or potential shared benefits to regional  grains-to-school efforts. Applications demonstrating strong, interconnected, and supportive grains-to-school relationships will score highly and are encouraged to apply.

• Must be able to spend funds within 90 days of receipt.

• Must not have already received an AGC Technical Assistance and Equipment Microgrant award in 2026.

• Must submit completed application by 5 pm CT / 6 pm ET Thursday, October 8.

Each individual entity or partnership may only submit one application. Only complete applications will be considered; partial applications will not be reviewed. Please answer the application questions in full to the best of your ability. For more detail about how applications will be scored, see the Scoring Rubric below.

Award Acceptance 

If awarded a microgrant, recipients must submit both a current W-9 and a Direct Deposit Authorization form (for electronic transfer of funds). These forms will be provided to the microgrant recipient upon award notification. Microgrant recipients will also be required to sign a contract with AGC’s fiscal sponsor, Global Philanthropy Partnership, outlining the award and payment terms.

By accepting a microgrant award, you understand that a) no taxes have been withheld from the payment, and b) you are responsible for reporting the payment to the IRS when submitting your annual tax return. We recommend talking to a tax professional to understand any implications for your annual tax filing.

Funds must be spent within 90 days of receipt.

Reporting Requirements

Microgrant recipients are required to complete a short survey describing how funds were spent (including receipt submission) and the impact it had. If recipients do not complete the form, they will not be eligible for future AGC microgrant funding. Please save receipts for any purchases made with grant funds where possible.

Table 1. Example Allowable and Unallowable Costs for the Fall 2026 AGC Technical Assistance and Equipment Microgrant Program 

Note: Table 1 is not a comprehensive list; it is meant to provide examples of what types of equipment and services are and are not aligned with the purpose of the microgrant program. If you have a question about a funding request for an item or service that is not in this table, please reach out to Jenileigh Harris, AGC’s Operations Director, at info@graincollaborative.com. 

Fall 2026 Program Timeline

• Application Open - Thursday, September 10

• Application Closes - Thursday, October 8 at 5 pm CT / 6 pm ET

• Awardees Notified Privately by Thursday, November 12

• Awards Distributed and Announced Publicly by Friday, December 11

Scoring Process and Rubric

All applications will be reviewed by a 5-6 person Microgrant Review Committee with experience in the Midwest grain chain and/or grains-to-schools landscape. Each application will be reviewed by at least 3 reviewers and individual scores will be averaged for a final score. The review process is completely anonymous; identifying information will be removed from each application to ensure fair and consistent scoring. AGC staff do not review or score applications.

The rubric below will be used by the Review Committee to score each application. The rubric is intended to provide consistent scoring standards across reviewers.

If you have any questions about the Request for Applications or the application form (linked below), please reach out to AGC Operations Director, Jenileigh Harris, at info@graincollaborative.com. 

Application Questions

Download a PDF of the application questions here. 

SECTION 1: Overview

• Email address

SECTION 2: Contact Information

1. Applicant name

2. Full legal name of entity

a. Note: If awarded, this name must match the W9 and Direct Deposit Authorization forms you'll be asked to submit.

3. Entity address

a. Note: If awarded, this address must match the address provided on the W9 and Direct Deposit Authorization forms you'll be asked to submit.

4. Relationship of applicant to entity (e.g., owner, operator, director, etc.)

5. Applicant phone number

6. Select which of the following best describes your situation.

a. I am a grain chain participant (e.g., farmer, cleaner, miller, baker, food business) growing or processing food-grade grains already selling to K-12 schools

i. SKIP LOGIC: If selected, applicants will be asked the questions in Section 3A.

b. I am a grain chain participant (e.g., farmer, cleaner, miller, baker, food business) growing or processing food-grade grains seriously interested in selling to K-12 schools 

i. SKIP LOGIC: If selected, applicants will be asked the questions in Section 3B.

c. I represent a K-12 school or school district already purchasing and using local and regional grains and/or grain-based products in our National School Lunch or Breakfast Programs

i. SKIP LOGIC: If selected, applicants will be asked the questions in Section 3C.

d. I represent a K-12 school or school district seriously interested in purchasing and using local and regional grains and/or grain-based products in our National School Lunch or Breakfast Programs

i. SKIP LOGIC: If selected, applicants will be asked the questions in Section 3D.

e. I represent a support organization or a food hub providing on-the-ground technical assistance, logistics, and communications in service of getting more local and regional grains into K-12 schools

i. SKIP LOGIC: If selected, applications will be asked the questions in Section 3E.

SECTION 3: Applicant and Partner Location

Description: It is required that the K-12 school districts purchasing and using local and regional grains are located in Lake Michigan’s 4-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. However, grain farmers, processors, bakers, and food businesses applying may be located in AGC’s broader 7-state region which also includes Iowa, Minnesota, and Ohio, so long as they currently work or actively intends to work with with a K-12 school or school district in IL, IN, MI or WI.

7. Section 3A: Please provide the name(s) and location(s) of K-12 school(s) or school district(s) you currently sell to in IL, IN, MI, or WI.

8. Section 3B: Please provide the name(s) and location(s) of K-12 school(s) or school district(s) you are interested in selling to in IL, IN, MI, or WI.

9. Section 3C: Please provide the name(s) of local and regional grain farmer(s), food business(es), and/or distributor(s) you currently purchase from

10. Section 3D: Please provide the name(s) of local and regional grain farmer(s), food business(es), and/or distributor(s) you are interested in purchasing from

11. Section 3E:

a. Please provide the name(s) and location(s) of K-12 school(s) or school district(s) in IL, IN, MI, or WI you currently sell to and/or provide technical assistance, logistics, and communications in service of connecting them with more local and regional grains and grain-based products

b. Please provide the name(s) of local and regional grain farmer(s) and food business(es) you currently buy from and/or provide technical assistance, logistics, and communications in service of getting their products into K-12 schools or school districts

SECTION 4A: Role in Grain Value Chain

Note: Applicants that select “I am a grain chain participant already selling to schools…”  or “I am a grain chain participant seriously interested in selling to schools…” will be directed to this section after they complete the “Applicant and Partner Location” section.

1. Please select your primary role in the Midwest grain value chain. (Multiple choice.)

a. Farmer

b. Cleaner

c. Miller

d. Baker

e. Food Business

f. Researcher

g. Food Hub or Distributor

2. SKIP LOGIC: If applicants select “FARMER” they will be asked the following questions (a-b):

a. Please select all the food-grade grains you currently sell to OR you are seriously interested in selling to K-12 schools for use in their school meal program (Check all that apply).

i. Buckwheat

ii. Corn (hybrid)

iii. Corn (OP)

iv. Dry beans

v. Einkorn

vi. Emmer

vii. Kernza® 

viii. Oats

ix. Oilseeds

x. Rice

xi. Rye

xii. Sorghum

xiii. Soybeans

xiv. Spelt

xv. Teff

xvi. Wheat

xvii. Wild Rice

xviii. Other (write-in)

b. What percentage of your overall sales typically go to K-12 school districts? (Please reply with a percentage between 0 to 100 or N/A if not applicable.)

3. SKIP LOGIC: If applicants selects “MILLER/BAKER/FOOD BUSINESS/FOOD HUB” they will be asked the following questions (a-b):

a. Please select the specific types of grains or products made with local and regional grains you currently sell to OR you are seriously interested in selling to K-12 schools for use in their school meal program. (Select all that apply).

i. Bread (loaves, buns, rolls)

ii. Buckwheat Flour

iii. Cornmeal

iv. Corn Flour

v. Dry beans

vi. Einkorn

vii. Emmer

viii. Granola

ix. Kernza® 

x. Muffins

xi. Oats

xii. Oat Flour

xiii. Oilseeds

xiv. Rice

xv. Rye Flour

xvi. Sorghum

xvii. Soybeans

xviii. Spelt Berries

xix. Spelt Flour

xx. Teff

xxi. Tortillas

xxii. Tortilla chips

xxiii. Wheat Berries

xxiv. Wheat Flour (All-Purpose, Whole Wheat)

xxv. Wild Rice

xxvi. Other (write-in)

b. What percentage of your overall sales typically go to K-12 school districts? (Please reply with a percentage between 0 to 100 or N/A if not applicable.)

SECTION 4: School Demographics

Note: Applicants that select “I represent a K-12 school or school district already purchasing local and regional grains…” or “I represent a K-12 school or school district seriously interested in purchasing local and regional grains…” will be directed to this section after they complete the “Applicant and Partner Location” section.

1. Select what type of school you represent.

a. Public K-12 school

b. Public K-12 school district

c. Nonprofit K-12 charter school

d. Nonprofit K-12 private school

e. Other

2. How many students are enrolled in your school or district?

3. How many school meals (breakfast and lunch) do you serve daily?

4. Which of the following best describes your school food management operations?

a. Self-operating

b. Food Service Management Company

c. Other

5. Which of the following best describes the type of cooking and baking used in your school or district? Check all that apply.

a. Scratch

b. Quick-scratch

c. Pre-made items

d. Heat and serve

e. Other

6. Please briefly explain the kitchen infrastructure in your school or school district including where meals are prepared (onsite, offsite) and served.

7. What local and regional grains and/or grain-based products are you currently purchasing and using in your meal program?

Section 5: Microgrant Request

1. Microgrant Project Proposal Title (5 to 8 words to describe your microgrant request, e.g., “Expanding Mill Operations to Meet School Demand” or “Upgrading Packaging for K-12 School Meals” or “Recipe Testing with Local Cornmeal”)

2. How much money are you requesting for this technical assistance and/or equipment? The amount must be between $2,500-$5,000. 

Section 6: Budget

1. To the best of your abilities, please provide an itemized budget illustrating how the requested funds will be spent. Please show the full cost of the project, even if the microgrant funds are covering a portion of the project or piece of equipment. For equipment or service rates, please submit a quote/estimate as possible. You will be asked to submit the budget and related quotes/estimates to a secure Dropbox link.

Section 7: Demonstrated Need and Network Benefits

1. Describe your microgrant project proposal request. How will this funding support getting more local and regional grains and grain-based products into K-12 school meals? What gap will it fill or need will it address in your work? (See scoring rubric category: Demonstrated Need/Impact)

2. Please describe at least 3 partnerships that have been (or will be) critical to your success in the grains-to-schools space. Please identify whether they are existing or aspirational partnerships. (See scoring rubric category: Project Support/Partnerships).

3. How might this funding benefit broader grains-to-school regional efforts? Please include specifics such as how much more food-grade grain or grain-based products you will be able to purchase; or how much more grain you will be able to plant, process, store, and sell to K-12 schools; or how you will share information about what you learn with others. (See scoring rubric category: Network Benefits)

Contact Information

If you have any questions, please reach out to AGC Operations Director, Jenileigh Harris, at info@graincollaborative.com.