Pine Cone Foundation Micro-Grant Program is sponsored by Pine Cone Foundation. Provides financial support to California-based farmers, ranchers, fisheries, and aquaculture operations to strengthen local food systems.

News– Pine Cone Foundation • THE 5TH ANNUAL GRANT APPLICATION WILL BE LIVE FROM JULY 6TH TO 20TH. CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT 2026 UPDATES • • THE 5TH ANNUAL GRANT APPLICATION WILL BE LIVE FROM JULY 6TH TO 20TH. CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT 2026 UPDATES • PCF has now distributed 25 grants, which translates to $90,000+ in contributed funds over 4 years to California-based farm, ranch, fishing, and aquaculture operations.

It was another banner year of strong application submissions…sincere and deep thanks to all who applied. We know each of your operations is worthy of a grant, and we truly appreciate all of your efforts both personally and professionally.

4th Annual Micro-Grant Program Awardees: Isaiah of @gottisgarden in Santa Barbara Mai of @farmermainguyen in Sebastopol Heather and Ben of @cahuillamountainranch in Anza Joey and Leslie of @avila_family__farms in Lindsay Matt and Natasha of @goodland_seafood in Buellton Rachel and Aki of @theblueheronproject in Bishop Veronica, Cole and Cristobal of @brisaranch in Pescadero Franchesca of @alchemistfarm in Sebastopol The 4th annual application appeal closed on November 8, 2025, at 5pm.

Thank you to all who applied. Please note, due to the volume of applications and our limited PCF administrative staff, we regret that we will not be able to contact each applicant individually about their grant status; awardees will be notified via email in late November, and a post will be made on our Instagram on December 11, 2025 on Instagram.

The PCF micro-grant application is open to established small California-based farms, ranches, fishing, and aquaculture operations that are looking to accomplish a specific project within one year. Our next round of applications will be accepted from now until November 8, 2025.

In 2025, we aim to distribute six to eight grants from $1,000 to $5,000 to eligible applicants; $30,000 will be allotted for this year’s Micro-Grant Program, an increase from $23,500 in 2024. Learn more about our Micro-Grant Program’s eligibility and apply by clicking here . Rizpah of @nova.

farming in Fresno Elissa of @littledoryseafoodco in Point Arena Ty and Carene of @thompson_heritage_ranch in Ramona Ayzsha and Jac of @kindfolkfarmgrown in El Cajon Tiffany and Jason of @wiseacre_farm in Windsor Courtney and Marcella of @sol_root in Sunol Ashlee and Jen of @browngirlfarms in Hayward Erik of @marinoyster in Marshall Volume 1 of our quarterly PCF Dispatch has gone out!

If you are interested in signing up, please visit this page . Our 3rd annual application appeal is now live and open to established small California-based farms, ranches, fishing, and aquaculture operations. Micro-grants from $1,000 to $3,500 will be distributed this year for those looking to accomplish a specific project within one year.

The online application is available, as well as the eligibility, requirements, and FAQ details. We hope you will check out the materials, apply, and help us spread the word through your networks and communities! La solicitud de micro beca de PCF está abierta a pequeñas granjas, ranchos, pesquerías y operaciones de acuicultura establecidas en California que buscan lograr un proyecto específico dentro de un año.

Estamos aceptando solicitudes del 27 de septiembre al 8 de noviembre del 2023. Este año se distribuirán tres a cuatro becas de $1,000 a $3,500. Los ganadores serán contactados por correo electrónico a principios de diciembre y los fondos se distribuirán a finales de diciembre The Journey From Ranch to Plate will be held in downtown Petaluma on October 26, 2024 from 12:30 to 5:30pm.

Our workshop spotlights regenerative ranching, butchery, and guidance on how consumers can join the thoughtfully raised meat movement. It concludes with a culinary gathering featuring locally sourced wine, beer, and an assortment of bites from some of the Bay Area’s most celebrated purveyors.

This event would not be possible without the generous support of: Martha Stoumen Wines • Lagunitas Brewing Company • Flannery Beef • Marin French Cheese Co. • Laura Chenel • Stemple Creek Ranch • Journeyman Meat Co.

• Bonjerk • Cult Crackers • Rustic Bakery • PRICEFILMS We are delighted to support the following California-based operations with our 2nd annual Micro-Grant Program: • Judith and Chanowk Yisrael of @yisraelfamilyfarm in Sacramento • • Ashley and Travis Vellis of @ashleysseafood in Arcata • • Miguel Gastelum of @indigenousfarms in Placerville • • Helena and Matthew Sylvester of @happyacrefarm in Sunol • • Megan Strom and Juan Gonzalez of @mesaagricola in Carlsbad • • Erin and Brennan Roscoe of @fox_sparrow_farm_petaluma in Petaluma • We’ll share additional details about the winners in the new year…stay tuned!

We wish to express our deep appreciation to all who applied, we were humbled and inspired by your stories and the volume of applications. Looking forward to launching the third annual grant application in September of 2024. Our Giving Tuesday appeal is live!

Donors contributing $75 and up will receive: • PCF-branded Nalgene 16 oz. water bottle • • A set of To Market cards by the lovely Bay Area artist, Maria Schoettler • Please visit our Donate page to make a contribution, and it’s worth noting, all contributions are always used in full for our Micro-Grant Program, so you are directly helping small-scale California-based foodways operations succeed.

This gift package is valued at $45 including shipping and all donations are tax deductible. Our 2023 Giving Tuesday campaign runs from 11/28 to 12/3 and all gift packages will be shipped on 12/7. Thanks to all of our grant applicants!

We are blown away by the quality and quantity of applications... The 2nd annual application appeal closed on November 8, 2023. Our next round of applications will be accepted in September of 2024.

Winners will be contacted in late November and publicly announced in early December. The PCF micro-grant application is open to established small California-based farms, ranches, fishing, and aquaculture operations that are looking to accomplish a specific project within one year. We are accepting applications via Google Forms from September 27th to November 8th, 2023.

If you are interested in reading a few of the 2022 winners' grant applications, please visit our Successful Application Examples page to help inspire you. Para ver nuestra solicitud en español, haga clic aquí . $20,000 Contribution to Shone Farm / Santa Rosa Junior College In 2022, three interns were hired through the Pine Cone Foundation Internship Fund: Savannah Hill, Jesse Gonzales, and KP Pondolfino.

The funding allowed the students to be hired for Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters at Shone Farm. This stable source of funding was especially appreciated by the students as they were able to work and take classes at Santa Rosa Junior College with a sense of job security. In total, the interns worked 2,160 hours and were paid a living wage of $18+/per hour.

Hukama Produce $3,380 Micro-Grant The Pine Cone Foundation micro-grant allowed Hukama Produce to purchase a multitude of equipment to increase efficiency at this BIPOC-owned farm. The owner, Byron Nkhoma stated in his recap report, “The salad and kale spinner has been of great help so far, it is efficient and dries the product well.

Dryer greens mean longer shelf life which has enabled us to be admitted into the Carlsbad School District for school lunches. Our supply of 160 lbs of kale per week makes 900+ servings for school kids, which we could not have accomplished without your funding. ” Casa Grande High School’s United Anglers $5,000 Grant With the help of Pine Cone Foundation’s funding, UACG created a Rescue and Rearing Plan for endangered Steelhead Trout.

With this strategy, they applied for and received a permit to authorize UACG to execute their conservation effort. The Rescue and Rearing permit allows students to collect/save any stranded Steelhead in the Petaluma watershed, perform tissue sampling, identify and understand rearing habitat, release them into the wild, potentially grant us access to new land, and improve our understanding of the species in our watershed.

UACG currently has approximately 900 Adobe Creek Steelhead trout in their facility that would have perished due to the severe drought conditions California continues to face. With the new program, United Anglers students are eagerly taking action and UACG has evolved into a year-round operation, with students volunteering throughout the summer months.

We are thrilled to support the following operations for our first annual Micro-Grant Program: • Leonard Vargas of @pixca. farm in San Diego • • Zee Husain of @kula. nursery in Berkeley • • Byron Nkhoma of @hukamaproduce in Ramona • We will share additional details about the winners in the new year…stay tuned!

We wish to express our deep appreciation to all that applied, we were humbled and inspired by your stories and the volume of applications. Looking forward to launching the second annual grant application in September of 2023. We have new merch!

In honor of Giving Tuesday, those who donate $50, $75 or $100 from today until December 4th will receive our branded Nalgene bottle. These are top quality, made in the USA, and BPA-free gems that are always handy to have around to keep you hydrated. What will we do with your donation?

All contributions will be used in full for our Micro-Grant Program , so you are directly helping small-scale California-based foodways purveyors succeed. We had a tremendous turnout for our first annual application appeal and we’re fundraising so we can allot additional grants for 2022, yes this year!

Help us, help farmers, ranchers, fisheries, and aquaculture operations…donate easily from our homepage via the link in our bio, tax receipts will be emailed and your bottle will be shipped via USPS on December 6th.