Applications have been accepted and are being processed.
November 9, 2021: $100,000 in funding will be awarded to assist Montgomery County-based food producing farms with the purchase of equipment, and/or to build food production capacity and infrastructure in order to contribute to the Montgomery County Farm to Food Bank program in 2022. Montgomery County farms can apply for up to $10,000.
Applications for the grants are due by noon on Tuesday, November 30, 2021, and funds will be distributed beginning January 3, 2022.
Grant awards are made possible by Food for Montgomery, a fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation. These funds are designated to support the Farm to Food Bank program for FY22 with a goal of expanding community access to local produce and fresh foods and the County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
A panel of local food security and agriculture experts will review the applications and determine grant awards. Manna Food Center is the administrator for the program and will distribute the funding once grants are awarded. Grant applications will be reviewed on criteria that includes requests in the priority area such as food production equipment and infrastructure, and the ability of the farm to increase the quantities of culturally appropriate food being provided to local food assistance organizations, to enhance gender/racial/ethnic diversity within the agricultural producer community, and to engage in sustainable farming practices.
Click here to watch the information session that was held via Zoom on Thursday, November 18th from 3-4pm.
The Montgomery County Farm to Food Bank program seeks to:
- Provide fresh, sufficient, nutritious, and diverse produce to food assistance recipients in Montgomery County.
- Support Montgomery County farmers, create new market opportunities for farm products, and develop new purchasing partnerships with local farms/farmers to ensure a sustained and resilient food supply for 2022 and beyond.
- Reduce food waste by procuring products based on shelf-life, broadening distribution of local farm products to additional County providers, and establishing a secondary sales market for these local products.
The Montgomery County Farm to Food Bank Capacity Building Grant is a partnership between the Greater Washington Community Foundation, Food for Montgomery Fund, the Montgomery County DHHS, the Montgomery County Food Council (MCFC), the Montgomery County Office of Agriculture, and Manna Food Center.