Regenerate Virginia Farm Vitality Grant Program

Regenerate Virginia Farm Vitality Grant Program is sponsored by American Farmland Trust (AFT). Helps Virginia farmers improve profitability while adopting regenerative agricultural practices. Funding supports equipment purchases, business planning, and product or market expansion projects, with a focus on land access, tenure, and succession planning.

2026 Regenerate Virginia Farm Vitality Grants Program The Regenerate Virginia Farm Vitality Grant Program (the Program) provides Virginia farmers with individual grants, focusing on efforts that support the adoption or expansion of regenerative practices and systems while also contributing to long-term vitality of their operations.

The Program will also focus on land access, tenure, and succession planning to ensure farms remain in regenerative operations for generations to come. American Farmland Trust (AFT) understands that Virginia farmers desire to be both strong stewards of their land and significant contributors to their regional economies.

Our farm vitality work aims to create opportunities for farmers to improve profitability and business viability alongside adopting regenerative systems. Eligibility criteria include: • Individual, for-profit Virginia terrestrial based farms or ranches that provide proof of income (or similar if the farm engages in barter, exchange, or community supply).

• Farmers with at least two seasons of production experience (for existing businesses). • Startup farms (under two seasons of production) are eligible if they can provide documentation of at least two years of production experience (internships, farm management experience, education, and training, or similar).

• While agriculture across the US is broad, this funding is intended to support terrestrial, soils-based agricultural production, and we are unable to consider applications from aquaculture, equine, or forestry* operations. (*Agroforestry and silvopasture operations do qualify.) We cannot award grants to American Farmland Trust staff, board members, or substantial contributors to AFT, or their family members.

• Family member: defined as any sibling, spouse, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, or great-grandchild • Substantial contributor: defined as contributing to American Farmland Trust $5,000 or more. To ensure clarity, fairness, and strategic alignment with the goals of the Regenerate Virginia Farm Vitality Grants Program, funding requests are organized into three distinct tracks .

Each track is designed to support a specific type of investment that contributes to both farm viability and the adoption or expansion of regenerative agricultural practices* . The use of tracks allows applicants to tailor their proposals to the most relevant funding category and helps reviewers evaluate applications consistently based on the nature of the proposed project. Applicants are only permitted to apply for 1 track.

All funding requests must align with the parameters of the selected track. > *REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE DEFINITION: For the purposes of this Program, AFT defines regenerative agriculture as a way of terrestrial based farming or ranching that improves the health of soil, water, and ecosystems while also supporting strong farms and communities.

Track Focus Area Max Award Examples of Eligible Expenses Track 1: Equipment Equipment for regenerative practices $15,000 No-till seed drill, compost spreader, cold storage Track 2: Business Development Planning, financial literacy, succession $15,000 Business planning, QuickBooks setup, legal fees Track 3: Product & Market Expansion New products, market access $25,000 Branding, certification, e-commerce tools TRACK 1: EQUIPMENT Supports the purchase of special-purpose equipment that improves farm viability or profitability and supports regenerative practices.

## �� Allowable Expenses: Including but not limited to No-till seed drill, roller-crimper, precision planter For cover crops and reduced tillage Mobile fencing or water systems For managed rotational grazing Compost spreader, mulch layer, compost tea brewer To improve soil fertility Wash/pack station upgrades Triple sink, root washer for food safety Cold storage unit, walk-in cooler, refrigerated trailer To reduce post-harvest losses Solar-powered irrigation pumps, drip irrigation For water efficiency Silvopasture equipment Tree augers, protectors, watering systems High tunnel or caterpillar tunnel For season extension in vegetable systems Standard tractors, combines Not directly tied to regenerative practices Home garden tools, office electronics Not used in farm production Seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, fuel, feed Consumables or short-lived supplies General-use vehicles Unless used for regenerative practice implementation TRACK 2: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Supports financial acumen, planning, and succession for regenerative farm businesses.

Financial literacy training For farmers and farm families Bookkeeping setup and training QuickBooks tailored to farm enterprises Marketing and brand strategy Including pricing strategy Feasibility study For new regenerative enterprises Succession planning support Legal fees, appraisals, consulting Peer-to-peer coaching Farmer-led technical assistance Market readiness assessments For institutional or wholesale sales College tuition or unrelated coursework Not tied to farm business development Hiring permanent staff or covering salaries General operating expense Travel for personal reasons Not business-related Memberships/subscriptions Without clear business planning purpose Generic marketing costs Must be tied to a growth strategy TRACK 3: PRODUCT AND MARKET EXPANSION Supports expansion through new products, broader markets, and wider distribution of regenerative goods.

Branding and packaging design For new regenerative products Value-added product development E.g., regenerative flour, grass-fed yogurt Certification costs Organic, grass-fed, regenerative E-commerce and website development Online sales systems Processing/packing equipment Flash freezer, bottling line, CSA packing Market access tools Delivery vans, multi-farm hubs Institutional market expansion GAP certification, food safety audits Consumer outreach Events, materials about regenerative practices Launching unrelated businesses E.g., coffee shop, B&B Selling non-regenerative goods Must align with regenerative production Events without clear regenerative tie Must educate or promote regenerative agriculture General-use vehicles Must be tied to product distribution Luxury branding/marketing E.g., unrelated merchandise or campaigns �� General Expenses Ineligible Across All Tracks Debt repayment or refinancing Not a program goal General operating expenses Payroll, rent, utilities, fuel Routine equipment replacement E.g., standard tractor or truck Building construction Long-term capital investments Retroactive costs Expenses before grant award date Aesthetic upgrades Landscaping, non-functional improvements AFT is committed to supporting opportunities for all in agriculture.

This grant program will prioritize support to farmers who have experienced barriers to capital and other resources. We encourage Virginia farmers from all backgrounds to apply, including those from the following groups: • Limited-resource farmers • Farmers with disabilities Additional information that will be considered: • Percentage of time currently dedicated to farming or ranching, or percentage of time desired.

• Potential impact of grant awards on overall farm growth and operations. • Type of farm, acres in farming, and farm products grown, raised, or produced . (AFT will prioritize awarding a diverse pool of farms operating at varying scales.)

HOW TO APPLY To apply, farmers should submit a completed Regenerate Virginia Farm Vitality Grant Application to AFT by the due date of December 19, 2025. Applications must be submitted electronically through the link on our webpage available Applications will be accepted from December 1 through December 19, 2025, and grant recipients will be announced in early 2026. Grant recipients will receive written notification via email.

The award notification email will detail the approved timeline and process for payment based on the individual project. Funding is contingent on the awardee completing a Grant Award Agreement form and submitting it, along with other requested information, within 7 days of being notified of the award. Announcement of the award and other communication will be conducted via email and online.

Failure to respond by the stated deadline could result in loss of award funds. Grant Disbursement Schedule: o The first 75% of the total awarded amount will be disbursed to the award recipient approximately 90 days after receipt of a signed award agreement via the online grant portal. o Final reports are due to AFT 365 days after the receipt of the initial funds.

The final 25% of the award amount will be disbursed to the award recipient approximately 90 days after submission of a final report via the online grant portal. o Note: This schedule is fixed and cannot be modified. • AFT will require the awardee to provide its SSN/EIN/TIN to fulfill AFT's obligation to report grant activities on its annual report to the IRS.

The name on your application must match the name on the SSN/EIN/TIN number that you intend to provide. AWARD FORM CHECKLIST If chosen to receive an award, AFT will require: Current photo representing yourself and your farm A brief summary regarding the planned use of the funds and results you expect to achieve with the assistance of the funds.

Awardees must submit the following within one year of receiving funds: All receipts showing how funds were spent One written page describing the project and its impact Photos or documentation of project outcomes Optional: Participate in an interview with AFT staff (not a substitute for written reporting) AFT will use this information to verify the permitted use of funds and evaluate the Program’s success.

Note: Interviews conducted by AFT Communications or Program staff are not considered sufficient to fulfill grant reporting needs. Awardees may be asked to participate in interviews, and should they opt-in, will be expected to do so in addition to the reporting guidelines set out above.

AFT has established the Regenerate Virginia Farm Vitality Grant Program to support awardees who need financial assistance to undertake proposed activities that further AFT's charitable purposes. These grants are motivated by charitable intent. AFT, however, does not represent the tax consequences of an award, if any.

AFT shall have no obligation to disburse amounts in excess of the approved grant, for services not completed, or goods or services not approved by AFT. Any expenses exceeding the grant maximum amount are the awardee’s responsibility. Expenses incurred before receiving a fully executed grant award agreement will not be reimbursable by the grant.

• Any unspent grant funds may be dedicated towards further services for the applicant, pending written AFT approval. Visit our website for more details: Farmland. org/grants If you have questions or need additional assistance completing your application, please contact Amanda Cather, Mid-Atlantic Deputy Director, at (202) 378-1244 or acather@farmland.

org. If you are interested in attending an online Q&A session about this grant, please sign-up by clicking on the link(s) below: REGISTER TO ATTEND A LIVE Q&A SESSION: Wed. November 19 th , 7-8pm Mon.

December 1 st , 1-2pm Mon. December 15 th , 7-8pm We encourage you to be thoughtful and diligent in completing your application, but we will not evaluate applications by grammar or writing style. Complete the questions to the best of your ability and take advantage of the narrative questions to describe your farm, your personal and professional goals, and the challenges you face in reaching them.

Feel free to write in the style or language that feels truest and most comfortable.