ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 15, 2026)—The Maryland Department of Agriculture today 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.
The PHI program is part of the federally funded Maryland Rural Health Transformation Program and is designed to expand food aggregation and distribution capacities in rural parts of the state.
“By strengthening the operational capacity of local food producers, this initiative will approve access to nutritious, locally sourced food for rural Marylanders,” said Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Kevin Atticks.
The program supports a wide range of Maryland food providers, including those handling fresh produce, dairy, grains for human consumption, meat and poultry, herbs and seafood.
Additionally, MDA is partnering with the Maryland Food Bank to enhance cold storage capacity and increase distribution of fresh foods. Food banks interested in cold storage infrastructure should contact the Maryland Food Bank directly.
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.
Funding may used across five key categories to strengthen the cold chain and distribution process, with priority given to cold storage:
- 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!
Program Background
This initiative is a core component of the Rural Health Transformation Program, a five-year federal initiative funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services through the Maryland Department of Health. Authorized by H.R. 1 (2025) (Section 71401 of Public Law 119-21), the Rural Health Transformation Program empowers states to strengthen rural communities by improving healthcare access, quality and outcomes by transforming the healthcare delivery ecosystem.
For questions regarding the application process, please contact Karen Fedor or Kelley Koeppen at [email protected].
Funding Acknowledgment: The Maryland Rural Health Transformation Program is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award to the Maryland Department of Health totaling $168,180,837.61 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents of this document are of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
