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In August 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced an additional $300 million for its Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP), which supports U.S. agricultural exporters seeking to develop and diversify overseas markets. That announcement was one stage in a multiyear funding sequence—not proof that applications are open now.
What is USDA’s additional $300 million for export development?
The funding was announced for RAPP, a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service program intended to help U.S. agricultural exporters develop and diversify export markets. USDA described the aim as helping “grow export markets for American farm and food products around the world.” The August 5, 2024 announcement said an additional $300 million would be made available through the program. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service newsroom
RAPP was designed to help exporters enter and grow in markets where demand is increasing, including nontraditional and growth markets. Its original program design, announced in 2023, described $1.2 billion over five years, with up to $300 million in first-year funding. USDA also set aside $25 million from the first tranche for activities in Africa. USDA’s 2023 program announcement
How the RAPP funding announcements fit together
USDA’s announcements cover different stages: establishing the program, opening the first application period, allocating the first tranche, and describing a further round. An announced opportunity, an allocation, and intended awards subject to conditions are not interchangeable.
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| Stage | What USDA said |
|---|---|
| October 2023 | USDA introduced RAPP, a five-year program designed for $1.2 billion in total, with up to $300 million in first-year funding. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service |
| November 2023 | USDA opened the first tranche’s application period. The original announcement described eligible applicant categories and program scope. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service |
| May 2024 | USDA reported allocating the first $300 million to 66 organizations. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service |
| August 2024 | USDA announced an additional $300 million for RAPP. The announcement alone does not establish a current application window or final award terms. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service |
| December 2024 | USDA described a second $300 million round intended for 67 partners, subject to legal and administrative requirements. The department said this would bring RAPP funding in 2024 to $600 million. USDA Office of Communications |
The December description is conditional: it stated that awards were intended for 67 partners once legal and administrative requirements were satisfied. It should not be read as an unconditional confirmation that every intended award had been finalized.
Who could apply for RAPP funding?
USDA’s original program announcement named these eligible applicant categories:
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- Nonprofit U.S. agricultural trade organizations
- Nonprofit State Regional Trade Groups (SRTGs)
- U.S. agricultural cooperatives
- State agencies conducting approved market-development activities
The program supported eligible projects to expand exports and diversify markets for U.S. agricultural commodities and products. These are categories in the original program description, not a substitute for the binding eligibility rules in a particular notice of funding opportunity. The available announcement information does not establish award-specific conditions for the later round.
Which markets was the program intended to develop?
The 2023 program description emphasized entering and growing in markets with increased demand, including nontraditional and growth markets. In its December 2024 announcement, USDA identified Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and South and Southeast Asia as regions offering opportunities for U.S. producers. Those regional priorities explain the market-development focus; they do not, by themselves, determine an applicant’s eligibility or project approval.
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Is the USDA RAPP grant still open?
The available USDA announcements do not verify whether an application opportunity is open now, and they do not establish the August 2024 opportunity’s exact deadline or award-specific conditions. Do not treat the August announcement as a current invitation to apply. An organization considering a proposal should check USDA’s current Foreign Agricultural Service funding notices and the specific notice of funding opportunity for any live round, deadline, eligibility rules, and application instructions.
For historical context, USDA opened the first tranche’s application period in November 2023, then reported allocating that first $300 million to 66 organizations in May 2024. The later announcements concern additional funding and a separate intended round, rather than extending that first application period.
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