Grant Details & Application Tips

We understand the challenges you face during the autumn harvest and the grant season. Our goal is to provide you with the necessary information to prepare your application thoughtfully, allowing you to focus on your farm and reduce your stress. We hope this information is helpful and we look forward to receiving your application.

News & Reminders
Sign up for the For Farmers list to receive notifications of upcoming Q&A sessions. I send a letter every Tuesday, and scanning it for updates and news is a good idea.

Key Dates
The application opens officially on October 1, but sometimes we open it early to give you even more time. Applications are due by October 31. Awardees will be announced on the first Wednesday after Thanksgiving.

The Basics
The application is meant to be simple and straightforward. In addition to some basics (contact info, social media and communications, and some other basics), it has three main sections: Your Farm Story, Farm Products and Sales, and the Grant Proposal. Each question includes notes with directions regarding what we are looking for.

Two key parts will help you be successful: a specific proposal that includes the impact of your proposed project on your farm and a budget. There is no such thing as a too-specific budget. 

Tip: The application does not include a "save" button. We suggest you work on your answers in a separate document and paste them in later in case there's a glitch or a WiFi outage, so you don't have to start over. 

Grant Options
This year, we have three grant options. You can select any category for your grant, including infrastructure, equipment, repairs, safety, offsetting expenses, making up for a recent loss, innovation, or something else of your choosing. Remember, we are here to support what you need. 

1. Basic Grant for Your Farm
This is a straightforward project proposal for your farm. It is meant to support what you need, and you know that better than we do. You just have to explain it to us. The awards are either $500 or $1000. We will select the amount based on your proposal and the donations we have received. You may not apply for more than this. Every application will include this proposal or a collaborative one (see below).

2. Collaborative Grant for Your Farm and One to Two Others
You can join forces with another farm or two other farms to apply for a joint project of your own design. Each of you must complete an application that features the details of your farm, the proposed project, and your specific role in the collaboration. Grant awards range from $1000 to $2000 for two farms and from $1500 to $3000 for three farms. 

3. NEW -- $10,000 Farm and Community Impact Grant
We are very excited to be able to offer this option. As a part of the regular application (which focuses on your application for either a basic grant for your farm or a collaborative grant for you and other farms), you are invited to submit a concept for what you would do with $10,000 and how it would impact your farm and your community.

During the regular grant review period, we will evaluate these concept proposals and select 10 or more to consider in Q1 of next year. A separate grant application, similar to the basic one, will ask for more details, a detailed budget, and grant reviewers may even discuss your proposal with you personally. 

Please do not make your basic or collaborative grant application (see options 1 or 2) a $10,000 proposal. Your application should include a detailed proposal for a project (again, in options 1 and 2), AND a concept for a $10,000 project to be considered by the reviewers under a separate scoring rubric. They may be related, but they should be separated by scale and budget. Of course, it is not mandatory that you complete the $10,000 option, but we hope you do.

Note: It is possible to be awarded a smaller grant AND the $10,000 grant.

Questions? Join the Q&As on Zoom (we host at least two each grant season). Reach out. Watch these videos with tips from reviewers. We are here for you.

Good Luck!