Youth Transportation to County & Local Fairs

The 2026 Transportation for Youth to County and Local Fairs Program is administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. It aims to increase youth attendance at county and local fairs across the state by providing competitive grants to support transportation and related activities. These fairs play a significant role in promoting New York's agricultural heritage and domestic arts, offering youth the opportunity to explore agricultural education, career paths, and community involvement. The Department will allocate a total of $350,000 through this grant program. Applicants may request up to $25,000 to cover transportation-related expenses for youth attending county and local fairs during the 2026 fair season. Funds can be used for a range of costs, including transportation, entry fees, meals, educational programming, and marketing tied to fair attendance. However, ineligible costs include vehicle purchases, overhead and fringe benefits, permanent signage, and any expenses incurred before March 1, 2026. The project duration will run from March 1, 2026, to October 1, 2026. Eligible applicants include agricultural and horticultural corporations sponsoring annual fairs, county extension service associations, municipalities, not-for-profit corporations, and Indian tribal organizations. Not-for-profit applicants must be prequalified in the Statewide Financial System (SFS) by the proposal deadline. Only one proposal per county will be funded unless remaining funds allow for multiple awards. If multiple proposals are submitted from one county, the highest scoring one will be selected. The application process requires submission through the SFS Grants Management System by 4:00 p.m. on December 9, 2025. Applicants must answer 15 detailed application questions covering the organization’s background, project description, educational impact, youth engagement strategies, outreach plans, and team qualifications. They must also submit a work plan with objectives, tasks, and performance measures, as well as a detailed budget with a narrative for each category. Commitment letters from partners are also requested. Proposals will be scored on a 100-point scale. Evaluation criteria include project description (20 points), work plan (20 points), reasonableness of cost (20 points), project benefits (25 points), organizational capacity (10 points), and outside support (5 points). Only proposals scoring 65 or higher will be considered for funding. Final awards will be made in February 2026. A tie-breaking procedure is in place to prioritize proposals requesting funds within remaining budgets and with lower midway/ride cost percentages. Applicants may submit questions to Kathryn Davis by November 7, 2025, and final Q&A responses will be posted online by November 14, 2025. An optional informational workshop will be held via Webex on October 28, 2025, and a recording will be made available. All awarded contracts will be executed through New York State's standard contract process, and payments will be made on a reimbursement basis, with a potential 25% advance and 10% retention pending final reporting.

Start early due to SFS prequalification delays. Ensure clarity in the work plan and budget narrative. Gather commitment letters from partners.