FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What Will a USDA REAP grant pay for?

The competitive USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) will pay 50% of the cost for any equipment that produces renewable energy or increases energy efficiency for winners. Common equipment types include:

Grain Dryers
Solar Arrays
Irrigation Motors
Lighting
Geothermal Systems
Heaters

If you’re planning to install or thinking about installing another type of equipment to update your operation, contact us to see if REAP would pay for it.

How do I know if I qualify for a USDA grant?

For most USDA grant programs, you must be either (a) an agricultural producer, or (b) a rural small business. If 51% or more of the annual income shown on your taxes is from farming, you’re eligible no matter how large your business is. If, however, less than half of your annual income is from farming, you must be based in a rural area and gross less than the small business cutoff for the NAICS code shown on your taxes.

Contact us or reference the eligibility map and small business cutoff links below to find out if you’re eligible.

REAP Eligibility Map
Small Business Administration Size Standards

Will I need something other than the prepared grant application to apply for USDA funding?

Yes. Aside from the grant application we will prepare based on utilities, an equipment quote, and/or operational information from you, you must have a registered SAM UEI (Unique Entity Identifier) and SAM.gov registration. These numbers validate your business entity and verify where the money will be sent should you be awarded funding. We can help you apply for these numbers, but it takes several weeks for them to be issued after registration, so it’s critical to begin the registration process as soon as possible to ensure you’re ready to submit the application once it’s complete.
SAM.gov

Does it cost to apply for the SAM UEI or SAM.gov Registration?

No. Applying for these numbers is 100% free. If you come across any site that requests payment for registration, you are on a third-party website. Contact us and we can ensure you have the correct site.

Do you work on USDA programs other than REAP?

Yes. We also have years of experience completing Agricultural Energy Management Plans (AgEMPs) and Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) applications for NRCS, writing Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) applications for Rural Development, and formerly wrote Rural Economic Development Loan (REDL) applications for Rural Development. If there’s another USDA program for which you’d like to apply, contact us to see if we can help.

Do you Write grant applications for non-USDA programs?

Yes. Although the majority of our work is submitting grant applications to the USDA, we have prepared applications for various other government programs, including the Department of Energy (DoE), the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI), and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF), among others. If you know of a grant for which you’d like to apply, contact us to see if we can help.

Do you work with customers outside of Indiana?

Yes. Our office is in Indiana, but have done work for clients in 47 states. Our energy auditors often fly across the country for clients whose work can’t be done remotely. We would love to work in all fifty states, so we welcome anyone who could use our services.