New York Agriculture Grants

This program provides financial assistance to eligible applicants for projects that protect agricultural land and support the sustainability of New York's farming industry.

This program provides free soil testing for community gardens in New York State to ensure food safety and promote soil health by analyzing heavy metals and nutrients.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to government entities in New York State for projects that protect and restore stream corridors, promoting ecological health and community engagement.

This funding opportunity provides $5 million each to two eligible regions in New York State to improve school food infrastructure, promote local farm products in school meals, and support workforce development in related fields.

This program provides free energy audits to eligible farms in New York to help them identify ways to save on energy costs and improve efficiency.

This program provides funding to Soil and Water Conservation Districts to help CAFO-permitted farmers improve manure management practices, reduce methane emissions, and enhance nutrient conservation.

This program provides free soil testing for community gardens in New York State to ensure food safety and promote healthy growth, targeting garden organizers and community groups.

This grant provides funding to organizations that support agricultural research and education initiatives aimed at improving the economic viability of farms in New York State.

This grant provides financial support to nonprofit organizations and local governments in New York State to help low-income families access fresh, locally grown farm products through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs using SNAP benefits.

This funding program provides $10,000 to agricultural and horticultural organizations and county extension services that host annual fairs, aiming to boost public engagement and awareness of agriculture and domestic arts.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to private property owners in New York City for installing green roofs to help manage stormwater runoff.

This fund provides matching financial support to small and mid-sized New York farms for safety improvements and repairs, helping them create a safer working environment.

This program provides funding to support the establishment of protective vegetated buffers on farmland near critical water sources in New York State, helping to safeguard public drinking water and improve water quality.

This program provides funding to New York State agricultural producers who meet food safety and environmental standards, helping them promote their products and increase sales.

The Summer Meals Capacity-Building Mini-Grants program seeks to increase the number of children and youth in the City of Rochester receiving summer meals and the number of days meals are served. Donor Name: Rochester Area Community Foundation State: New York City: Rochester Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 05/17/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: The Summer Meals program is federally funded and designed to provide food to youth when the regular school year is not in session. The program serves youth 18 and under who are in programs that serve, or are located near, a school with at least 50% free and reduced meals eligibility rates. The City of Rochester is designated a high-need area, making all youth in the city eligible for summer meals. The Summer Meals program (officially the Summer Food Service Program) is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service. Proposals may include requests for one or more of the following: A Summer Meals Volunteer Coordinator or supplemental staff to increase the Summer Meals site’s capacity to serve additional children and/or to extend the number of days of meal service. One-time capital purchases to increase the capacity of the Summer Meals site to serve additional children and/or extend the number of days of meal service. Examples include purchase of tables, chairs, and coolers. Examples can be found here: Refrigeration and dining, Equipment One-time capital purchase of equipment or supplies that will encourage physical activity and fun, thus increasing the capacity of the provider to serve additional summer meals as more youth may be enticed to participate. Categories  Children  Equity  Youth  Funding Information Up to $15,000. Eligibility Criteria All applicants must be an approved partner of one of the three main Summer Meals sponsors in Rochester (the City of Rochester, Rochester City School District, or Foodlink) for meal delivery, or maintains its own LEA status with NYSED for Summer Meal sponsorship; AND An organization, church, or government entity that has previously provided reimbursable Summer Meals through the New York State Department of Education under the Summer Food Service Program in the City of Rochester; OR A 501(c)(3) organization or 509(a)(1) public organization Previous Summer Meals Mini-Grant recipients are eligible to reapply, but priority may be given to organizations that have not received Summer Meals Mini-Grants in the past. For more information, visit RACF.

This program provides funding to Soil and Water Conservation Districts to help farms manage nutrient runoff and reduce methane emissions through various conservation practices.

This funding opportunity provides $10,000 to agricultural and horticultural organizations, as well as county extension service associations, to enhance advertising, promotion, and educational efforts for annual fairs and expositions, ultimately boosting public engagement and awareness of agriculture and domestic arts.

The Farm and Food Growth Fund (FFGF) is the administrator for a portion of New York State’s Department of Agriculture and Markets USDA Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) grant program with a focus on enhancing, growing and improving the mid-channel of the food supply chain. Donor Name: Farm and Food Growth Fund (FFGF) State: New York County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 06/28/2024 Size of the Grant: More than $1 million Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Funded under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) of 2021, and with allocations made to all 50 states plus districts and commonwealths, the goals are to expand each state’s middle-chain capacity and infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of targeted local and regional agricultural food products. Meat, poultry, cannabis, animal food and forage, fiber, and wild caught seafood products are not considered under this program. The RFSI program will make infrastructure awards to businesses and organizations operating in the middle-of-the-supply chain. Successful projects will focus on increasing the supply of New York-sourced food products available in New York markets. Competitive project applications must benefit multiple producers and multiple markets, and may be collaborative applications. The grant program is to fund projects that expand statewide capacity and infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of targeted local and regional agricultural food products (excluding meat and poultry products). Successful projects will focus on increasing the supply of New York-sourced food products available in New York and regional markets. Competitive project applications will benefit multiple producers and multiple markets. Priorities and Objectives Support infrastructure development to expand business’ capacity for processing, aggregation, storage and distribution. Target development of infrastructure projects to the dairy, fruit and vegetable, and organic industries to support the development of new value-added products. Create greater market access to intermediaries such as food hubs, aggregators, wholesalers, and distributors with the goal of increasing local food sales to institutions such as schools, hospitals, and correctional facilities. Funding Information Infrastructure Grants: This competitive opportunity is focused on funding infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of locally produced agricultural food products (excluding meat and poultry products). Applications may be submitted for projects ranging from $100,000 – $3,000,000. Applications must include match funds of 50% or 25% for historically underserved groups. Eligible Activities  Construction Hiring term-limited personnel to assist with project implementation activities. Purchasing special purpose equipment to benefit multiple producers through middle-of-the-supply-chain activities such as processing, aggregation, distribution or targeted agricultural product. Analyzing potential facility upgrades and changes to meet regulatory requirements, obtaining design and/or architecture services. Planning for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) or other food safety or worker safety measures or equipment recommendations. Upgrades to new facilities for processing specific agricultural products, such as: On-farm post-harvest processing, preservation, and storage/cold storage. Post-harvest cleaning and grading. Aggregator warehouse and storage, including cooperatives. Purchase of freezing equipment, freezer, or cold storage. Processing, canning, preserving and pasteurization. Preparation and packing. Drying, hulling, shelling and milling. Cooking, baking, juicing, distilling, fermenting Retail related activities can include creating distribution channels to new retail opportunities, or expanding processing and packaging capacities, including adding product types, increasing production volumes, and supporting new retail product lines. Eligibility Criteria  Who is eligible? New York State agricultural producers or processors, or groups of agricultural producers and processors Nonprofit organizations Local government entities Tribal governments Institutions such as schools, universities, or hospitals bringing producers together to establish cooperative or shared infrastructure or invest in equipment that will benefit multiple producers middle-of-the-supply-chain activities. What is eligible? Projects that expand processing capacity, including product type, increased production volume, and supporting new wholesale/retail product lines, modernize equipment or facilities through upgrades, repairs or retooling, purchase installation of specialized equipment, modernize manufacturing, tracking, storage, and information technology systems, enhance worker safety through adoption of new technologies or investment in equipment or facility improvements, construct new facilities, increase packaging and labeling capacities, increase storage space, develop, customize, or install climate-smart equipment, modernize equipment or facilities to ensure food safety, and train on the use of new equipment and new processes. Some examples include: Expanding processing capacities, including adding product types, increasing production volumes, and supporting new wholesale/retail product lines; Modernizing equipment or facilities through upgrades, repairs, or retooling; (e.g., adapting product lines for institutional procurement or adding parallel processing capacity); Purchase installation of specialized equipment, such as processing components, sorting equipment, packing, and labeling equipment, or delivery vehicles; Modernize manufacturing, tracking, storage, and information technology systems; Enhance worker safety through adoption of new technologies or investment in equipment or facility improvements; Increasing packaging and labeling capacities that meet compliance requirements under applicable laws; (e.g. sealing, bagging, boxing, labeling, conveying, and product moving equipment); Increasing storage space, including cold storage; Develop, customize, or install climate-smart equipment that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, increases efficiency in water use, improves air and/or water quality, and/or meets one or more of USDA’s climate action goals; Modernize equipment or facilities to ensure food safety, including associated Hazard, Analysis, and Critical Control Points (HACCP) consultation, plan development and employee training; Training on the use of all equipment purchased under the grant and associated new processes. For more information, visit FFGF.

Tourism Capital grants support significant investments in visitor-generating projects such as theaters, museums, trails, and other major cultural and recreational attractions. Donor Name: Tompkins County State: New York County: Tompkins County (NY) Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: 08/26/2024 Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000 Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned Details: Funding Information Grants range from $5,000 to $100,000. Uses of Funds The funds can be used for design, renovation, and new building projects; investments in unique permanent installations such as exhibits; and feasibility studies of potential capital projects. Supported Activities Past projects funded include the Dryden Rail Trail Stewart Park Inclusive Playground renovation of Discover Cayuga Lake’s charter boat for eco-cruises; Tompkins Center for History and Culture buildout visitor amenities for the Cayuga Waterfront Trail. What is Eligible for Funding? Capital Investment Projects New construction and renovation projects are eligible. The project may provide expansion or renovation to existing facilities or may be a new facility. Project will typically be valued at $75,000 or higher. Grant funds may contribute up to one-third (33%) of eligible costs that include: Acquisition of land Acquisition, construction, and renovation of buildings Acquisition of furnishings, equipment, permanent exhibitions, and other capital improvements designed to serve or promote tourism over a minimum of five years Design services for the project Feasibility Studies Studies should lead to a capital investment as described above. Eligible projects include: Concept-level design and determination of cost estimates Tourism plan for a capital project Business plan for a capital project. Eligibility Criteria Nonprofit organizations designated as 501(c)3. Municipalities within Tompkins County. Farmers Markets. For more information, visit Tompkins County.

This grant provides funding to dairy processors, associations, packaging manufacturers, and educational institutions in the Northeast to support innovative projects that improve processing and packaging in the dairy industry.