IL SB3077

Creates the Local Food Infrastructure Grant Program administered by the Illinois Department of Agriculture to provide grants for processing, storage, aggregation, and distribution of value-added agricultural products.

Establishes grant award amounts ranging from $1,000 to $75,000 for individual projects and $1,000 to $250,000 for collaborative projects, with recipients required to demonstrate comparable investments or high-need status.

Eligible applicants include Illinois farms, cooperatives, processing facilities, food businesses, food hubs (all with fewer than 50 employees), nonprofit organizations, and local government units that store, process, package, aggregate, or distribute value-added agricultural products.

Prioritizes grants for projects serving underserved farmers and communities, filling critical infrastructure gaps, demonstrating community support, and facilitating long-term economic development in the local food sector.

Creates a Local Food Infrastructure Steering Committee composed of farmers, food industry representatives, and nonprofit organization representatives to guide program implementation, grant criteria, and evaluation.