Advanced Wood Heating Assistance

Advanced Wood Heating Assistance is sponsored by Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. Supports working lands businesses to install or upgrade advanced wood heating systems, offering 50% cost share on a reimbursement basis.

Grants & Financial Assistance | Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets Accessory On-Farm Businesses Act 129: Local Definition Agriculture and Food Systems Plans Business Planning & Assistance Grants & Financial Assistance Working with Food Hubs & Distributors Experience Vermont Agriculture Farm to School, Early Childhood & Institution Farmers Stands, CSAs, & Farmers Markets New and Beginning Farmer Resources RFSI Infrastructure Grants: Project Overviews Dairy Business Innovation Center Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accountability Land Use & Renewable Energy License and Registrations Public Information | Public Records Vermont Agriculture & Environmental Laboratory Disaster Response and Recovery Resources Grants & Financial Assistance Find additional funding sources and opportunities in our list of other directories .

Advanced Wood Heating Assistance This financial assistance program supports working lands businesses to install or upgrade advanced wood heating systems. It offers 50% cost share (up to $25,000 per project) on a reimbursement basis.

Barn Preservation Grant Program The oldest state-funded agricultural-based grant program in the United States, the Barn Preservation Grant Program helps individuals, municipalities, and non-profit organizations to rehabilitate the historic agricultural buildings that are a symbol of Vermont’s rural landscape. Buildings must be at least 50 years old and listed in or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

The Black Farmer Fund offers loans, grants, and royalty financing to Black farmers, herbalists, distributors, restauranteurs, caterers, composters, and other food-related businesses. American Farmland Trust makes grants to farmers and ranchers through the Brighter Future Fund to advance their mission to protect farmland, promote sound farming practices, and keep farmers on the land.

The Emergency Resilience Grant offsets financial disruptions farmers and ranchers experience due to natural disasters (such as flooding, wildfires, or avian flu), the loss or delay of funding due to the government funding freeze, or a loss of markets.

The National Grant for Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers assists farmers in successfully launching, growing, and sustaining farms in the face of forces impacting the food and agricultural system, including the COVID-19 pandemic, changing markets, severe weather, and climate change.

The New England Regenerative Livestock Farming Grants provide funds to livestock farmers in select counties in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut for the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices.

The Eric Rozendaal Memorial Award The Eric Rozendaal Memorial Fund, created through contributions from Eric’s family and friends and managed by the Vermont Land Trust , makes awards to applicants who actively manage commercial farm operations in Vermont.

Applicants are evaluated on land stewardship and commitment to practices that support soil health and conservation of natural resources, giving back to communities through mentorship and community engagement, and demonstrated ability to innovate through the introduction of new farm products or the development of new markets.

Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) FACT offers welfare-oriented livestock and poultry farmers a suite of services designed to support, empower, and expand humane farming practices including grants, scholarships, free webinars, and an online community to connect with other farmers.

FACT awards competitive Fund-a-Farmer grants to working, independent family farmers located in the continental U.S. who raise beef cattle, broiler chickens, dairy cows, goats, laying hens, pigs, sheep and/or turkeys. Food Exporrt Branded Program The Branded Program provides 50% cost reimbursement for a wide variety of international marketing activities.

The FruitGuys Community Fund Each spring, The FruitGuys Community Fund provides grants of up to $5,000 to small farms and agricultural nonprofits for sustainability projects that have large positive impacts on the environment, local food systems, and farm diversity such as projects that reduce water and power use, increase pollinators, improve soil health, promote natural pest control, or extend the growing season.

The Local Crowd Upper Valley The Local Crowd Upper Valley, a community-based crowdfunding program hosted by Vital Communities , invites emerging and established businesses based in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont to submit project proposals.

Northeastern Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) NOFA-VT, a membership-based non-profit organization, promotes organic practices to build an economically viable, ecologically sound, and socially just Vermont agricultural system that benefits all living things.

They offer financial assistance to their member farmers in various ways: Resilience Grants : grants to fund projects that will improve longer-term resilience on farms. Farmer Emergency Fund : supports member farmers who have been adversely affected by natural and unnatural disasters. Vermont Family Farmers of the Month : makes a financial award to a member family farm each month for a project that will improve the viability of the farm.

State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) The State Trade Expansion Program (STEP), administered by the Vermont Agency for Commerce and Community Development, provides funding assistance to eligible small business to support entry into foreign markets or expand international export activity through trade shows, trade missions, market research, e-commerce, and export education.

USDA A griculture Marketing Service (AMS) AMS administers the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), supports the development, coordination, and expansion of direct producer-to-consumer marketing; local and regional food markets and enterprises; and value-added agricultural products.

LAMP is an umbrella program that encompasses the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP), Regional Food System Partnerships Program (RFSP). The Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) funds projects that develop, coordinate, and expand direct producer-to-consumer markets such as farmers markets, roadside stands, agritourism activities, community-supported agriculture programs (CSA), or online sales.

The Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) funds projects that develop and expand local and regional food business enterprises that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer to consumer marketing such as shared-use kitchens, food hubs, and food incubators.

The Regional Food Systems Partnerships Program (RFSP) supports public-private partnerships that plan and develop relationships between local and regional producers, processors, intermediaries, and institutional markets or institutional food service operations. The Farm Service Agency serves farmers, ranchers and agricultural partners through the delivery of effective, efficient agricultural programs.

Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) provides payments to livestock producers who experience grazing losses due to qualifying drought conditions or fire on federally managed rangelands. The program is designed to help producers recover from significant forage losses, ensuring the continuity of their operations and the well-being of their livestock.

Tree Assistance Program (TAP) provides payments to orchardists and nursery tree growers who experience losses due to natural disasters. TAP helps cover the cost of replanting or rehabilitating eligible trees, bushes, and vines that produce annual crops and have been damaged or destroyed.

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) NRCS Provides farmers, ranchers and foresters with financial assistance and technical advice to improve production, reduce input costs and conserve natural resources through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program , Conservation Stewardship Program , and Agricultural Management Assistance Program .

USDA Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) SARE offers competitive grants to projects that explore and address key issues affecting the sustainability and future economic viability of agriculture. USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) RMA serves agricultural producers through effective, market-based risk management tools, including Federal crop insurance and risk management education programs.

Rural Development offers loans, grants and loan guarantees to support essential services and offers technical assistance and information to help agricultural producers and cooperatives get started and improve the effectiveness of their operations.

Programs include, but are not limited to, the following: The Rural Energy for America Program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to purchase or install renewable energy systems or make energy efficiency improvements Value Added Producer Grants help agricultural producers enter into value-added activities related to the processing and/or marketing of bio-based, value-added products.

Vermont Employment Growth Incentive (VEGI) The State of Vermont offers an economic incentive for business recruitment, growth and expansion.

The Vermont Employment Growth Incentive (VEGI) program can provide a cash payment, based on the revenue return generated to the State by prospective qualifying job and payroll creation and capital investments, to businesses that have been authorized to earn the incentive and who then meet performance requirements.

Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program The Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program offers business advising and grants to enhance the economic viability of Vermont farms and forestry enterprises.

Water Quality Grants : Grants of up to $40,000 to help Vermont farmers invest in water quality-related on-farm infrastructure Business Plan Implementation Grants : When funding is available, Farm Viability Implementation Grants are available on a competitive basis to farm businesses that have completed a full business plan or transfer plan through the Viability Program.

Veteran Farmer Fellowship Fund The Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund, administered by the Farmer Veteran Coalition, is a small grant program that provides direct assistance to veterans who are in their beginning years of farming or ranching.

The Fellowship Fund does not give money directly to the veteran, but rather to third-party vendors for items the veteran has identified will make a crucial difference in the launch of their farm business. Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center Maker's Fund The Maker's Fund is a partnership between Northfield Savings Bank and the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center.

The fund provides a range of services, based on operational needs, to manufacturers with 20 or less employees to sustain and grow their businesses. WomensNet provides monthly grants to women-owned businesses. Monthly Amber Grant : each month a $10,000 Amber Grant is awarded to one outstanding woman-owned business.

All business categories, including non-profits, are eligible. Monthly Startup Grant : each month a $10,000 grant is awarded to a business still in the idea phase or one with minimal sales (under $10,000). Business Category Grants : each month a $10,000 grant is awarded to a business in the specific category for that month.

A listing on this page does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets. Business Planning & Technical Assistance Grants & Financial Assistance Working with Food Hubs & Distributors