Working Lands Business Enhancement Grant (FY27)

Working Lands Business Enhancement Grant (FY27) is sponsored by Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets. This grant supports Vermont farm, forest, and some food businesses with at least one year of operations and 2025 revenue for equipment, infrastructure, market development, R&D, or workforce training. No match is required.

Business Enhancement Grant | Working Lands Enterprise Initiative The Service Provider & Producer Association Grant is open now through November 5, 2026 at 2:00pm. The Business Enhancement Grant is now through December 10, 2026 at 2:00pm.

Business Enhancement Grant Request for Applications (RFA) WebGrants Application Guide Frequently Asked Questions Permitting & Licensing Resources for WLEI Projects We also have a Word document version of the RFA if you prefer to draft your application in Word. The PDF version linked above is the best version to share with others and to refer to if anything accidentally gets deleted from the Word version.

Review the full Request for Applications for the complete details on eligible projects/applicants and the full application process. Register in WebGrants (may take up to two business days). Visit the Working Lands application frequently asked questions for resources and to get support on your application.

Complete your application in WebGrants using our Application Guide . Grant Project Planning : Grant project planning assistance is now available on a first-come, first-serve basis. This includes working with a business advisor from Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program for a few hours to think through what to apply for, review financial statements, and light review of a grant application.

Contact Clare Salerno at Clare. Salerno@vermont. gov or 802-917-2637 (call or text) to be referred to a business advisor with experience in your project area.

October 9, 2026: Request for Applications (RFA) released and application opens for submission. October 14, 2026, 11am-12pm Application Drop-in Question & Answer : Virtual drop-in Q&A is available to discuss eligibility questions, clarifying questions about the application, and questions about using WebGrants. This time is for questions that can be asked in a group setting.

During any of the times listed below, use this link to join the meeting on Microsoft Teams or dial by phone at 802-828-7667, 214399072#.

Thursday, October 29, 11:30am-12:30pm Wednesday, November 4, 10-11am Thursday, November 12, 3:30-4:30pm Tuesday, November 17, 3-4pm Monday, November 23, 1-2pm Wednesday, December 2, 11am-12pm Wednesday, December 9, 11am-12pm December 10, 2026 at 2:00pm : Application deadline Late February/Early March 2027 : Applicants notified of funding decisions April 2027 : Estimated project start date April 2028: Project end date Minimum & maximum award : $10,000 - $50,000 Available funds : $508,000 Infrastructure development Workforce training and development Project length : 12 months There is no match requirement for this grant.

If you apply for a project that costs more than the grant amount you are applying for, you must demonstrate that you can pay for the parts of project that grant funds won't cover. We recommend applying for the minimum amount of funds needed for project success due to high demand for limited funds. We recommend focusing on one project per grant application.

This grant is intended for farm, forest, and some food businesses/organizations with at least one year of operating history. You must submit business financial statements in this application. These statements should be clear, comprehensive, and demonstrate appropriate financial trends for the age and stage of the business/organization.

This does not necessarily mean that your business/organization needs to be profitable. The most competitive applicants demonstrate financial need AND strong business/financial management skills. You are not required to submit a business plan, but anyone that has a business plan is welcome to submit it.

Eligible Applicants & Projects For complete information on eligible projects and applicants, see pages 5-9 of the RFA .

Farms within agricultural sectors producing food (for animal or human consumption) and/or fiber products: hay and forage crops; hemp grown outdoors for fiber or ingestible CBD products; herbs; honey; hops; fruit; legumes; livestock for dairy, meat, and/or fiber; poultry; maple; nut trees; mushrooms grown outdoors; vegetables; and viticulture. Any size farm in these sectors is eligible.

Logging businesses, sawmills, firewood producers, or any other primary forestry business that uses Vermont-grown logs, pulpwood, veneer, wood chips, bark, pilings, etc. Wood product trucking and distribution businesses that transport Vermont-produced wood products.

Value-added food and fiber businesses that source at least 50% of raw ingredients grown in Vermont OR are applying for a Working Lands grant to significantly increase use of ingredients grown in Vermont. Agricultural product trucking and distribution businesses that transport Vermont-produced food and/or fiber products. Retail businesses that primarily sell Vermont-produced food and/or fiber products.

Secondary wood businesses, such as woodworkers or manufacturers, pellet mills, etc. Secondary wood businesses that source more wood from Vermont will receive higher scores than those that do not source wood from Vermont. Applicant organization/businesses should have generated revenue during calendar year 2025 and be able to produce an end of year profit and loss statement or income and expense statement from calendar year 2025.

Applicant organizations/businesses must be based in Vermont. Businesses or organizations headquartered outside of VT may be eligible if the project or service being proposed is 100% focused on Vermont’s working landscape and businesses. Please contact Clare.

Salerno@vermont. gov to discuss eligibility for out-of-state applicants. All structures are eligible (e.g., Partnerships, Limited Liability Corporations, Sole Proprietorships, Cooperatives, Corporations, S Corporations, L3Cs, B Corporations, and/or non-profits that are involved in the support of production of agriculture and/or forest products).

All legally incorporated enterprises must be registered with the VT Secretary of State. Sole proprietors using a business name other than their own name must have their assumed business name (formerly known as a trade name) registered with the Secretary of State.

To maximize the number of Vermont businesses receiving grants within the constraints of limited grant funds, grant recipients need to sit out three fiscal years of grantmaking, with year one being the fiscal year after the grant opportunity end date. Your previous grant must be closed prior to reapplying.

These are the past grantees that are eligible: FY22 or earlier Standard Business Grantees FY21 or earlier Supply Chain Impact Grantees FY20 COVID-19 Business Response Grantees Equipment – new or used equipment, including down payments for large pieces of equipment, rehabbing equipment that is new to the business, or upgrading equipment with new features or attachments.

Infrastructure development – project-specific planning, permitting, engineering or architectural plans; building costs, including labor; may include equipment installation and/or technical assistance costs. Research and development – testing new systems or technology, including purchasing new animal genetics and new root, seed, or nursery stock. Workforce training and development – technical skill training for staff.

Ineligible Applicants & Projects Businesses/projects in these sectors are NOT eligible: cannabis; Christmas trees; equine; flowers; hemp grown for topical CBD products; and horticulture crops. Businesses/organizations that exclusively grow food or other agricultural products indoors (such as hydroponics, aquaculture, or indoor mushroom production) are NOT eligible.

These business types often are eligible for other grants or services, so please review the Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets grants and the additional grants and financial assistance pages. Businesses/organizations that produce food made from ingredients that are not regularly produced in Vermont or are not available in sufficient quantities to meet production requirements.

Trucking, distribution, or retail businesses that primarily sell food and/or fiber products that are not grown in Vermont. Business/organizations that are brand new and did not have any revenue in 2025.

The following grantees are not eligible: Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Grantees FY23, FY24, or FY25 Working Lands Business Enhancement Grantees FY24 Small Farm Diversification & Transition Grantees FY24 Agriculture Development Grantees FY23 or FY24 ARPA Primary Producer Impact Grantees FY22, FY23, or FY24 Supply Chain Impact Grantees FY22 Meat Slaughter & Processing Development Grantees Land purchases, rent, or leases Livestock/animal purchases General business advising and planning expenses Projects that primarily include an ongoing, recurring cost of doing business Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets staff can assist applicants during State of Vermont business hours, Monday–Friday, 7:45 AM to 4:30 PM.

If assistance during these business hours does not work for you, please email, call, or text Clare Salerno to identify an alternative time. Lily Bradburn can help you with using Webgrants. Clare Salerno can answer questions around information presented within the Request for Applications, such as project eligibility or application questions, or the grantmaking process.

Please note that immediate assistance may not be available shortly before deadlines. clare. salerno@vermont.

gov lily. bradburn@vermont. gov