Northeast SARE Farmer Grant Up to $10,000 for farmers to explore new concepts in sustainable agriculture conducted through experiments, surveys, prototypes, on-farm demonstrations or other research and education techniques. Farmer Grant projects address issues that affect farming with long-term sustainability in mind.
Food Animals Concerns Trust Fund a Farmer Grant – opens October 8th – for projects that improve farm animal welfare, expand humane farming, and support capital and operational work.
American Farmland Trust New England Regenerative Livestock Farming Grant – Open October 1st
SeedMoney Challenge
Whether you’re associated with a community garden, youth garden, food bank garden or community farm, the SeedMoney Challenge can help your project raise the funds it needs to flourish. Participating projects receive 100% (i.e. 0% fees) of what they raise whether they reach their funding goal or not. On top of the funds they raise, projects compete for 432 grants ranging from $100 to $1000. The more a project raises, the larger the grant it qualifies to receive.
Key Details:
- Funding Size: $100 – $1,000
- Due: November 12
Website: https://donate.seedmoney.org/
The Extension Risk Management Education Competitive Grants Program announces a competitive funding opportunity for educational projects designed to help agricultural producers improve their economic viability through targeted risk management strategies. The Center expects to award grants through three program areas – Education Projects, Producers Underserved by Crop Insurance Projects, and Exploratory Projects.
Key Details:
- Funding Size: $10,000 – $100,000
- Due: November 14
Website: http://www.nerme.org/2025-erme-rfa-2/
New England Dairy Launches 2nd Round of Dairy Promotion Grant
New England Dairy has launched the second round of its 2024 Dairy Promotion Grant program for farmers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Connecticut. More than $25,000 has already been awarded to 16 farmer-led dairy promotion projects this year. Dairy farmers and dairy-focused groups are eligible to apply for grant funding of up to $2,400 annually. The funding supports activities that improve public perception of dairy farming and increase the consumption of local dairy products. New England Dairy is particularly focused on engaging youth and millennials to foster connections between farmers and local consumers. Click here for more!
The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center: The Innovation in Dairy Processing & Packaging Grant
This grant will provide funds for dairy processors, dairy producer associations, packaging manufacturers, supply chain businesses, educational research institutions, and technical assistance providers to support innovation for Northeast dairy processors across a variety of scales. Open to applicants in 11 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Projects funded through this grant must address at least one of the following areas:
- Packaging initiatives that prioritize sustainability, scalability, and marketability of packaging solutions for small and mid-sized processors. Packaging projects may address topics such as packaging lifecycle analysis, packaging materials, costs of conversion, supply chain logistics, research and development, packaging design, processor packaging changeovers, and infrastructure upgrades.
- Novel processing solutions such as innovation in sourcing, product development, alternative production solutions, distribution and supply chain logistics, operations, workforce development or employee welfare, and marketing or consumer experience.
- Projects that increase collaboration across the dairy sector or increase partnerships between sectors to ensure the greatest number of dairy businesses benefit.
Grants will range from $75,000 to $350,000 with a 25% (cash or in-kind) match commitment required. Total funds available: $1,500,000.
The Request for Applications is available now : https://nedairyinnovation.com/grants/dairy-processor-innovation-grant/. The application period is September 12 – October 31, 2024 at 2:00 PM ET.
MDAR Farmers Market Sustainability Grant Program
State grant to support Massachusetts farmers markets through strategic planning, promotion, marketing, consumer education, and infrastructure needs. An informational webinar will be held for interested applicants on Friday, September 6, at 2pm. To access the webinar, register here.
Grant amounts up to $10,000
Application deadline: October 8, 2024
State grants for the arts, administered through local cultural councils. Great for paying for musicians to perform at your market. Find your town’s local cultural council here. An information session will be held Thursday, September 5th at 6pm. Register for the information session here.
Application deadline: October 16, 2024
Looking for a Grant Writer?
Be sure to check out MDAR’s Agricultural Grant Writing Assistance List
As part of our commitment to farmer support and Environmental Justice, MDAR has posted a first edition of the Agricultural Grant Writing Assistance List. This is a list of organizations and individuals who offer programs and services to assist individuals, farms/farmers, or organizations with grant writing and project management. Assistance with grant writing support was a key need uncovered in listening sessions with partner farmers and organizations, and while MDAR cannot assist farmer with grant writing, our hope is that this directory will be a helpful resource to Massachusetts farmers.
MDAR put out a call for responses to develop the Agricultural Grant Writing Assistance List, and you can view the list of organizations who responded on our webpage.
MDAR will be publishing updates to the list periodically, and we encourage individuals and organizations who provide grant writing, and related services, to respond to this form (*new* — organizations and individuals can now complete an online form instead of responding through CommBuys).
Questions can be directed to MDAR.EJ@Mass.gov.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The grant applicant will be responsible for contacting and screening any consultant they may hire and arranging their own agreements/contracts, including fee structures (if any). MDAR emphasizes that successful grant applications require significant involvement from the applicant. Using a vendor from this list does not provide any MDAR applicant with an advantage during the evaluation process. Utilizing grant writing services is not required or expected for applicants of MDAR grants.
Organic Certification Cost Share Program
The 2024 Organic Cost Share Reimbursement application period is now open!
The deadline to submit applications is December 16, 2024.
MDAR is authorized by the USDA – Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to reimburse certified Organic Crop and Livestock Producers and Handlers (processors) for the Federal 2024 Fiscal Year. Reimbursements are limited to 75% (seventy-five percent) of an operation’s certification costs, up to a maximum of $750 (seven hundred fifty dollars) of certification, for the program year. Organic operations certified for crops, wild crops, livestock and handlers are eligible to participate.
Details and application here.
Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) – NOFANY
For NY Farmers seeking to transition to organic – NOFANY is currently matching mentors and mentees for their Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP).
Are you an established organic grower wanting to hone your mentoring skills and be well-compensated for assisting a transitioning grower through the certification process? Or perhaps you are an aspiring organic grower and you’d like to be matched with an experienced organic grower who can show you the ins and outs of their recordkeeping systems and organic practices.
The 40 hour mentorship can be scheduled for anytime of the year (some have arranged their mentorship to be completed between December and February. Mentors and mentees are required to visit each others’ farms once during the year-long mentorship and the rest of communications can be remote.
Application Deadline: October 6, 2024
NOFA-NY’s TOPP offers these opportunities:
As a mentor: You’d receive $3000 for 5 hours of training and 40 hours of direct mentorship over the course of the year.
As a mentee: You’ll receive 40 hours of direct mentorship and an inside look at your mentor’s farm and systems, hopefully leaving the program with an organic systems plan and readiness to certify.
Feel free to reach out with any questions about the program. If you’d like to apply to be a mentor or mentee, you can follow this link to learn more or submit an application.
Organic Certification Cost Share Program
For Massachusetts farmeThe 2024 Organic Cost Share Reimbursement application period is now open!
The deadline to submit applications is December 16, 2024.
MDAR is authorized by the USDA – Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to reimburse certified Organic Crop and Livestock Producers and Handlers (processors) for the Federal 2024 Fiscal Year. Reimbursements are limited to 75% (seventy-five percent) of an operation’s certification costs, up to a maximum of $750 (seven hundred fifty dollars) of certification, for the program year. Organic operations certified for crops, wild crops, livestock and handlers are eligible to participate. Details and application here.
If you would like to be listed on the MassGrown Map as an “Organic Farm”, please fill out MDAR’s Map Form.
For those already on the Map, and have updates or edits for your farm, please send them to Richard.LeBlanc@mass.gov.
Learn more here: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-the-organic-certification-cost-share-program
MA Farm Energy Program (MFEP) – Energy Audits
MDAR’s Massachusetts Farm Energy Program (MFEP) has funds to help farms cover audits, energy efficient projects, and select renewable energy projects. You will need a technical assessment to file an energy grant application whether with MDAR or USDA. MFEP pays 75% of the technical assessment, first come, first served.
Contact our MFEP now for more information through the Center for EcoTechnology (CET), our partner helping us administer the MFEP: 413-727-3090, info@massfarmenergy.com, or visit www.massfarmenergy.com, and submit a Request Form, and we will contact you.