Food Assistance Grants

Food Assistance Grants is sponsored by Washington State Department of Agriculture. Grants to support hunger relief organizations in Washington State, including Resiliency Grants and Farm to Community programs.

Grant Resources | Regional Small Farms | Washington State University Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) Eligibility: Organizations The BFRDP is administered by the National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) of the USDA. The program provides grants to organizations for education, mentoring, and technical assistance initiatives for beginning farmers or ranchers.

Community Food Projects (CFP) Competitive Grants Program Eligibility: Organizations The CFP Program funds projects that improve food distribution, improve access to food, promote comprehensive responses to local food access, farm, and nutrition issues; and the creation of innovative marketing activities that mutually benefit agricultural producers and low-income consumers.

Washington Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) A USDA NRCS program , the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is NRCS’ flagship conservation program that helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners integrate conservation into working lands.

EQIP Initiatives include Landscape Conservation Initiative On-Farm Energy Initiative Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) Eligibility: Agricultural Businesses, Cooperatives, Organizations, Farmers Markets The Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) aims to improve and expand farmers markets, roadside stands, community-supported agriculture programs and other direct producer-to-consumer market opportunities.

Local Food Promotion Program Grants (LFPP) Eligibility: Agricultural Businesses, Cooperatives, Organizations, Farmers Markets The Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) funds local and regional food business enterprises that serve as intermediaries to process, distribute, aggregate, and store locally or regionally produced food products.

Federal State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) Eligibility: State Organizations FSMIP provides matching funds to State Departments of Agriculture and other appropriate State agencies to assist in exploring new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products. Check with WSDA to determine program details for Washington State.

Organics Certification Cost Share Program USDA’s organic cost-share programs provide assistance for certification related expenses through participating States, to organic producers and/or organic handlers. Program details change annually. Rural Business Development Grant Program (RBDG) Eligibility: Organizations The RBDG program is designed to develop and expand rural small and emerging private business enterprises.

Grant funds may be used for targeted technical assistance, training and other activities to support the development of small, private business enterprises.

Rural Cooperative Development Grant Program Eligibility: Organizations The RCDG program improves the economic condition of rural areas by assisting individuals and businesses in the startup, expansion or operational improvement of rural cooperatives and other mutually-owned businesses through Cooperative Development Centers.

Socially-Disadvantaged Groups Grant Eligibility: Organizations (Cooperatives and Cooperative Development Centers) The primary objective of the SDGG program is to provide technical assistance to socially-disadvantaged groups through cooperatives and cooperative development centers. Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) Eligibility: Organizations The purpose of the SCBGP is to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.

Specialty crops are defined as “fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture). ” Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program Eligibility: Farmers and Organizations Eligibility: Farmers and Organizations SARE is a USDA-supported grant and education program that funds research and education projects for farmers and ranchers.

Value Added Producer Grant Program The VAPG program helps agricultural producers enter into value-added activities related to the processing and/or marketing of bio-based, value-added products. Generating new products, creating and expanding marketing opportunities, and increasing producer income are the goals of this program.

Tilth Alliance – Washington State Organic and Sustainable Farming Fund This grant is for farmers seeking financial assistance to support projects that will improve the economic viability, social impacts, or environmental sustainability of their farm businesses.

The goal of this grant program is to enhance the operations of farmers practicing responsible and progressive methods such as sustainable soil management, crop diversification, habitat preservation, climate change mitigation and environmentally-safe waste management practices.

Eligibility: Organizations The Kellogg Foundation supports community efforts to strengthen the “value chain” of local food systems from seed to table, through sustainable production, farmers markets and cooperatives, fair treatment of farm workers and investment in local economies.

Eligibility: Farmers and Organizations Farm Aid grant funds are invested in programs that help farm families stay on their land, build local markets, confront the threat of corporate control of agriculture Washington State Conservation Commission – Office of Farmland Preservation (OFP) Eligibility: Organizations The OFP has the Farmland Protection and Land Access (FPLA) and Agricultural Conservation Easement Sponsorship (ACES) programs.

Organic Valleys Farmers Advocating for Organic (FAFO) Grant Eligibility: Non-profits and academic/research institutions FAFO is a grant program funded entirely by annual, voluntary contributions from Organic Valley farmers. It’s the largest farmer-funded grant program in the U.S. and one of the few focused solely on organic.

The fund provides a way for Organic Valley farmers to address the long-term needs of the organic marketplace and the future of organic agriculture by supporting the development of long-term solutions.