Local Agriculture Grants

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations and government entities in Greene County, Missouri, to create outdoor programs and resources that engage local residents, especially those in low-income neighborhoods, with the natural environment.

This grant provides funding to Bergen County schools in New Jersey to promote and enhance long-term recycling programs and educational initiatives.

This program provides financial support to food-growing businesses and nonprofits in Kane County to help them recover from pandemic impacts and improve food security through fresh produce donations.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations that implement programs focused on education, public health, economic development, and the arts for residents of Charlottesville, Virginia.

This grant provides funding to non-profit organizations and public agencies that promote tourism and boost economic activity in Oak Harbor, Washington.

This grant provides funding to Maine-based agricultural producers, processors, and organizations to enhance the capacity and resilience of the food supply chain through the purchase of essential equipment.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for community projects in Pajaro, California, aimed at enhancing emergency preparedness, social services, economic development, healthcare access, language services, and community beautification for local residents.

This grant provides $10,000 to new businesses located in Laurel, Maryland, to help them grow, create jobs, and enhance their operations through various improvements and equipment purchases.

The City of St. Petersburg is offering grants ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 to eligible non-profit organizations that propose innovative solutions to the local opioid crisis, with a focus on treatment and recovery support services, overdose prevention, harm reduction, and substance use prevention and education.

This grant provides funding to Massachusetts schools and early education programs to promote food literacy and local food sourcing through initiatives like school gardens, cooking classes, and educational field trips.

The Town of Christiansburg in Virginia is offering a matching grant of up to $5,000 to for-profit business owners for improving their building façades in the town's historic central business areas, with the aim of encouraging investment and revitalization of buildings at least 50 years old.

This grant provides funding to 4-H and FFA programs in El Dorado County, California, to support hands-on agricultural education for local youth through equipment, supplies, curriculum, and facility improvements.

The Innovation Fund by Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors in California offers grants over $1 million to stimulate innovative public service projects and programs in areas like equitable access to services, economic vitality, and environment, available to IRS tax-exempt organizations operating in Contra Costa County, with application deadline on 10/07/2024.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is offering the AGRI Value-Added Grant, a reimbursement grant ranging from $100,000 to $500,000, to support value-added businesses such as bioenergy producers and hemp processors in increasing sales of Minnesota agricultural products through investment in equipment, production capacity, market diversification, and market access.

The Orange County Business Investment Grant Program in North Carolina is seeking applications to provide financial support ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to stimulate non-farm business development and expansion within the county, with eligibility criteria including the business's physical location, operational duration, tax status, and connection with business counseling services.

The Office of Food Systems Resilience (OFSR), in partnership with the Office of Grants Management (OGM), is soliciting grant applications for the County’s 2025 Community Food Assistance Program. Donor Name: Montgomery County Office of Grants Management State: Maryland County: Montgomery County (MD) Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 09/16/2024 Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000 Grant Duration: 1 Year Details: $3,500,000 in total is available for awards of direct funding and/or shopping credits to order food for distribution of shelf-stable, fresh food, and/or prepared meals to Montgomery County residents. The goal of these funds is to provide continuity of existing critical community food assistance services, while also closing service gaps, enhancing program impact, standardizing data collection, providing greater flexibility and transparency in funding processes, and strengthening the capacity of the provider network and resilience of the local food system. Funding Priorities  The range of programming allowed under this grant is intentionally very flexible. Examples of project models that will be considered for funding include, but are not limited to: Choice pantry model, offering participants a choice model with access to a variety of culturally relevant, healthy shelf-stable and fresh food items including fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, and eggs; Pre-packed box/bag distribution that includes healthy, locally sourced produce options; or Delivery and/or distribution of nutritious, medically and/or preference-tailored prepared meals to households with unique needs. Funding Information The minimum award that applicants may request is $5,000 and the maximum award is $300,000. Final award amounts may be lower than $5,000. The performance period for these grant awards is one year (anticipated to be on/about October 15, 2024 to October 15, 2025).  Eligibility Criteria  Applicant organizations must meet all of the following conditions: Be a non-profit food assistance provider that has provided regularly scheduled, uninterrupted food assistance services at least: once per month, at one consistent site, for a minimum of two years.  Organizations designated as Service Consolidation Hubs in partnership with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services are not eligible to apply;  Provide a Letter of Support from organizational leadership or partner(s) confirming commitment to allow use of all key physical infrastructure assets and/or resources (storage space, packing or distribution location, vehicles, etc.) outlined in the proposal for the entire grant period; Be currently registered and in Good Standing with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT);  The organization’s principal place of business for delivering these services must be located in Montgomery County; if a national or regional organization, it must have a location in Montgomery County through which it provides related services; and  Be in compliance with all reporting obligations and performance requirements for other County grants and procurement contracts. For more information, visit MCOGM.

The Middle South Georgia Conservation District, a legal subdivision of the state of Georgia established in 1945, offers the Environmental and Agricultural Education Grant to promote education related to agriculture and natural resources within its nine-county service area. The grant supports educators from Pre-K to 12th grade and agricultural or natural resources-based entities in Ben Hill, Brooks, Colquitt, Crisp, Irwin, Thomas, Tift, Turner, and Worth counties. Applicants can request up to $1,000 for projects including tools, books, software, lab equipment, field trips, and the development of natural resource areas. Applications are due by September 30, 2024.

The Community Foundation’s Impact Grant program provides grants for any purpose, including a wide range of field of interest and special purpose funds, and support for individuals served by nonprofits or government agencies. Donor Name: The Community Foundation of Frederick County State: Maryland County: Frederick County (MD) Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 09/15/2024 Size of the Grant: Less than $1000 Grant Duration: 1 Year Details: Nonprofit organizations providing programs that impact health and human services, historic preservation, the arts, agriculture, civic causes, animal well-being, education, youth programs, and more should apply. Funding Information Minimum request: $500 Grant Period Grants must be used during the period of January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025. Eligibility Criteria The Community Foundation administers grants to organizations providing direct benefits to Frederick County, Maryland. All applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements to be considered for a grant. The applicant must be: An already existing nonprofit, 501c3 organization in good standing with the IRS, A government/quasi-governmental agency applying for an extraordinary project that is not funded by tax revenue, A religious organization requesting funding for non-sectarian activities, or A civic group that is not a 501c3 organization requesting funding for a community cause. For more information, visit CFFC.

The Vision Partnership Program (VPP) – Cash Grant is a grant available to Chester County municipalities and multi-municipal groups seeking to improve their planning programs while achieving consistency with and implementation of the goals, objectives, recommendations, and map of Landscapes3. Donor Name: Chester County State: Pennsylvania County: Chester County (PA) Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 09/25/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Program Purpose Recognizing the benefits of grant awards to municipal planning projects, the Chester County Board of Commissioners established VPP in 1996 to promote cooperation between local governments and the County while implementing Landscapes, the County’s Comprehensive Plan.  The program was revised in 2010 to reflect Landscapes2 and revised again in 2019 to reflect Landscapes3. The purpose of VPP is to advance consistency with and implementation of the county comprehensive plan while accomplishing impactful, lasting, and positive benefits for municipalities through innovative municipal planning; multi-municipal planning; and new and revised municipal plans, ordinances, and planning studies that address opportunities and issues of community concern. Funding Information Plans or Ordinances Adopt $50,000 plus $10,000 for each additional municipality. Planning Studies Accept $30,000 plus $5,000 for each additional municipality. Eligible Costs The following costs are considered eligible for reimbursement if they are included in and directly related to the project scope of work attached to the executed grant contract: Professional planning consultant fees; Data collection and analysis; Mapping and graphics; Monthly duplicating costs of deliverables; Mailing costs, such as for mailings to municipal residents, not to exceed five (5) percent of the total eligible costs for the project; Review of draft materials by non-planning professionals, such as attorneys or engineers, not to exceed ten (10) percent of the total eligible costs for the project (note: this must be described specifically in the project scope of work); Travel costs, such as mileage for required meetings, not to exceed two (2) percent of the total eligible costs for the project; and Publication of the adopted document, up to thirty (30) copies. Eligible Projects  Comprehensive Plan Open Space, Park, and Recreation Plan (to include a greenway plan) Zoning Ordinance and Amendments (to include amendments specific to topic areas such as agriculture, historic resources, natural resources, housing, traditional neighborhood development, form based code, transfer of development rights, and establishing mixed-use, diverse, walkable communities) Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance and Amendments (to include amendments specific to topic areas such as bicyclist/pedestrian circulation, natural and cultural resource protection, woodland inventories, and forestation/woodland management plans) Official Map and Ordinance Urban Center Revitalization Plan Resource Protection/Stewardship Plan (addressing topics such as open space, natural resources, parks, scenic resources, historic and cultural resources) Environmental and Community Sustainability/Resilience Plan/Study (to include energy conservation, clean energy transition) Community Design Guide (addressing topics such as housing, historic resources, and villages) Village Master Plan Heritage Interpretation Plan (in accordance with Preserving Our Places, CCPC, 1998) Historic Resource Survey (in accordance with PHMC standards) Housing Plan/Study Economic Development Study Transportation Corridor Plan/Study Streetscape Master Plan Multimodal Plan/Study Trail Feasibility Study Plans/Ordinances that support transition to renewable or alternative energy Agricultural Economic Development Plan Eligibility Criteria  Meeting eligibility requirements is not a guarantee of grant funding under the Vision Partnership Program. Eligible Applicants  The VPP cash grant program is open to all Chester County municipalities which have endorsed or acknowledged Landscapes3. Eligible applicants include a single municipality or a multi-municipal group, which may consist of two (2) or more contiguous municipalities or two (2) or more municipalities when located in the same school district. The application shall identify and be submitted by a lead municipality in the case of a multimunicipal group application. To ensure proper grant administration and promote successful completion of projects, municipalities are encouraged to complete VPP projects funded under previous rounds before applying for additional VPP funding. However, the Chester County Planning Commission may consider approving municipalities to undertake more than one VPP funded project at a time on a case-by-case basis. Municipalities involved in a multi-municipal comprehensive plan shall not be eligible for VPP funding to undertake a full comprehensive plan update at the same time as the contract term of the multi-municipal plan. Partial updates to a specific comprehensive plan section, such as the historic resources plan, may be considered on a case-by-case basis. General Project Eligibility  The project shall advance one or more of the Landscapes3 goals and objectives, and implement one or more of the Landscapes3 recommendations at the municipal or multimunicipal level. Projects enabled by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), Act 247, as amended, such as comprehensive plans (or elements thereof) or ordinances, shall demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the MPC. Projects not adopted under the provisions of the MPC are defined as “Planning Studies” for the purposes of VPP. General project types that may be eligible include plans, ordinances, ordinance amendments, and planning studies. Projects shall be supported by a municipal or multi-municipal comprehensive plan that was adopted within the prior ten (10) years, unless the municipality has undergone the formal review process as outlined in Section 301(c) of the MPC or the applicant provides documentation identifying why the urgency of the proposed project supersedes the need for an update of their comprehensive plan. For more information, visit Chester County.

The City of Dallas Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability’s (OEQS) Urban Agriculture Division announces its partnership with Dallas County Health and Human Services on the implementation of an Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Support Program. Donor Name: City of Dallas State: County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 09/02/2024 Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: The main goal of UAISP is to strengthen the capacities of urban growers and farmers in the city of Dallas, thereby advancing food security, fostering healthier communities, and mitigating disparities within the local food system. More specifically, the grant aims to assist farmers and food growers in the planning, design, and installation of eligible infrastructures, while also streamlining the permitting process.  Funding Information The available amount for this pilot program grant is $99,600 with maximum reimbursements of up to $10,000 per applicant.  Allowable Expenditures  Permissible costs mainly encompass expenditures associated with the planning, design, and/or implementation of power or water infrastructure to support the production, aggregation, and/or processing of food. Projects involved in activities falling within this scope will receive preferential consideration during the application evaluation and selection process. The following is an itemized list of some costs that the program will reimburse: Project/Infrastructure plans or designs.  Urban agriculture infrastructure counseling and professional services  Utility connections to on or off-grid water systems, including drip irrigations.  Utility connections for off-grid energy supporting urban agriculture operations. Contracted labor/installations. Greenhouses/hoop houses.  Versatile high tunnels (multi-season).  Cold storage temperature control equipment. Grow light systems.  Bee hives.  Other expenses deemed allowable by DCHHS & the City of Dallas Eligibility Criteria To be eligible for funding, individuals or establishments must fulfill the following criteria:  Engage in edible farming and gardening, and/or participate in aggregation, and/or process agricultural food products.  Contribute to the local food system by either engaging in food production and/or facilitating access to healthy and safe foods.  Clearly demonstrate a need for funding to improve food-related infrastructure.  For more information, visit City of Dallas.