Are you a small farmer, looking at expanding your operation to local schools or to a more regional focus? Or perhaps expanding into a farmers market? Maybe you need some assistance to stay on the land in the face of financial crisis and natural disasters. Well, read on, as there are multiple grant opportunities currently available.
Funded through the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, up to $6 million in funding is available via four different types of grants. Planning grants are to assist schools is starting a farm to school program whereas implementation grants are to assist in expanding current farm to school programs. Support grants are for non-profit, tribal nations, state and local entities, and producers to assist schools with further developing and providing broad-reaching support services to farm to school initiatives. Finally, training grants are intended to support trainings that strengthen farm to school supply chains, or trainings that provide technical assistance in the area of local procurement, food safety, culinary education, and/or integration of agriculture-based curriculum.
Grant applications are due May 20, 2015 and training grant letter of intent is due April 30, 2015.
Farmers Market Promotion Program and Local Food Promotion Program:
Funded through the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, the Farmers Market Promotion Program and Local Food Promotion Program provide a total of $26.6 million, equally divided between the program. The Farmers Market program is aimed at supporting direct marketing avenues, such as farmers markets, community supported agricultural programs, roadside stands, and agri-tourism. The Local Food Promotion Program, on the other hand, is aimed at supporting intermediary supply chain activities for businesses that process, distribute, aggregate, and store locally or regionally produced food.
Grant applications for each program are due on May 14, 2015. You may submit an application to each grant but, if your proposal is accepted for both grants, you may only be funded through one program.
If you are interested, grant writing workshops in every state are scheduled.
For non-governmental grant funding, Farm Aid’s annual grants to promote family farm system are open. Letters of inquiry are due May 1, 2015 and fully proposals by August 1, 2015. Grants are for non-profit organizations, from $3,000 to $10,000, that focus upon one of three areas: (1) Growing the Good Food Movement; (2) Helping Farmers Thrive; and (3) Taking Action to Change the System. Growing the Good Food Movement supports program building local and regional food systems, direct marketing, and value-added markets. Helping Farmers Thrive focuses upon projects for getting started on the land, accessing new markets, transitioning to more sustainable farming practices, production of renewable fuels, and staying on the land in face of financial crisis and natural disasters. Finally, Taking Action to Change the System funds organizations promoting fair farm policies and grassroots organizing campaigns.