Grant Opportunities for Food System Organizations and Businesses

Grant opportunities for food assistance partners:

• Rooted in Evidence Food Bank Grant and Evaluation Program: Rooted in Evidence is an opportunity for selected food banks and their partners to enhance measurement and evaluation related to their programming. In addition, this program will provide funding for innovative and dynamic programming to improve the health and dietary quality of emergency food recipients.
  • Application Deadline: The deadline to submit a brief statement indicating intent to submit a proposal is 5 pm CDT April 1, 2021, while the deadline to submit the full proposal is 5 pm CST, April; 16, 2021.
• Rooted in Justice: A new funding program designed to help amplify youth voices and actions in the environmental, conservation and food movements by supporting community-based organizations and groups that specifically manage youth-led urban greening programs.
• • • Application Deadline: Friday, April 30th

• The W. K. Kellogg Foundation: Accepts healthy kids and community/civic engagement grant applications throughout the year with no submission deadline.

• Nonprofit, Interest Free, Micro Bridge Loan Account (NIMBL): This interest-free, micro bridge loan program and fund supports the operations of nonprofit entities. The program is administered by the Maryland Nonprofit Development Center and the Maryland Department of Commerce.
  • • The program provides short-term financing support to qualifying nonprofit entities between the award date of a government contract and the actual receipt date of those awarded funds. 
    • Application accepted on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis.
• Open Road Alliance Charitable Grants: This grant is for organizations engaging in direct COVID-19 response. They will prioritize organizations and activities that have a clear and direct role in ‘flattening the curve’ and thus limiting, shortening, or minimizing the economic and social, as well as health effects of the pandemic.
  • Organizations can apply for up to $100,000 and can cover any geography and any sector, providing they can demonstrate that they are directly contributing to ‘flattening the curve’ in their community.
• Reopen Montgomery County Grant: The grants will reimburse Montgomery County businesses and nonprofits for expenses incurred to comply with State and County reopening requirements.
  • • Grants up to $5,000 still available to provide assistance to small businesses and nonprofits: Montgomery County businesses that have purchased items they need to comply with State and County regulations to protect the public health are encouraged to apply.

Grant opportunities for food businesses and farms:

• The Maryland Urban Farmer Relief Grant : provides grants of $500 to urban farmers to assist with a portion of the costs associated with the urban commercial production of locally grown food products this spring. Urban farmers played a significant role in helping to feed city residents during the pandemic. Learn more.
  • First-round applications are due by March 15, 2021
  • Second-round applications are due April 15, 2021.
• The Maryland Shellfish Aquaculture Relief Grant: provides grants of between $500 and $2,000 to persons holding State submerged land and/or water column aquaculture leases. The grants can assist shellfish aquaculture producers with their spring planting expenses, some of which are mandated under State law. There are approximately 175 oyster farms in Maryland, and many of these farms experienced large revenue losses in 2020 because of a dramatic decline in restaurant sales. Learn more.
  • First-round applications are due by March 15, 2021
  • Second-round applications are due April 15, 2021.
• The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger: Zero Waste Foundation is accepting applications now through April 1 for its Innovation Fund. This opportunity for innovative startups is aimed at reducing food waste through upcycled products.
  • Learn more here.
• The Maryland Wood Products Industry Equity Investment Relief Fund (WIPPIE): provides grants of 20% to 33% of a project’s cost up to $225,000, with the aim to help forest harvesters and wood fiber processors to purchase new equipment or construct facilities to increase the utilization and production of wood products in Maryland. The forest products industry has been devastated by the closure of mills and the loss of markets in recent years, and the pandemic has exacerbated this problem. There are more than 157,000 private forestland owners in Maryland (owning 10 or more acres of woodland).
  • First-round applications are due by April 1, 2021. Learn more.
• The Maryland Local Food Cold Storage Relief Grant Program: provides grants of up to $15,000 (up to 50% of the cost) to help agricultural and seafood businesses purchase the cold storage equipment that is needed to continue or expand operations. Farmers needing new cold storage equipment and facilities has increased significantly during the pandemic.
  • First-round applications are due by April 1, 2021. Learn more.
• The Maryland Livestock Processing Equipment Relief Grant Program: provides grants of up to $100,000 (at up to 75% of the cost) to livestock processors to purchase meat processing equipment to help expand the capacity of their processing enterprises. The demand for local meat products overwhelmed local processors during the pandemic which led to scheduling backlogs at small processing facilities and farmers having to hold their livestock for longer periods of time. This program will potentially help to relieve some of this demand by providing funds to facilities to expand their processing capacity.
  • First-round applications are due by April 1, 2021. Learn more.
• Maryland Value Added Producer Matching Grant: MVAPMG – USDA Option is designed to encourage participation in USDA’s highly competitive Value Added Producer Grant Program (which has both planning and working capital components). To be eligible to apply to MARBIDCO for funding, an applicant must also be eligible under the USDA VAPG Program, and funds will only be awarded to those who actually receive the USDA VAPG award.
  • Application Deadline: April 15, 2021 at 4:00PM
• MARBIDCO Local Farm Enterprise Food Aggregation Grant Fund Pilot Program: Small Scale and Large Scale Aggregation grant opportunities available to support farmer led and institutional aggregation projects involving Maryland food producing farms. Learn more here. Applications due April 15, 2020.
• Good Food Doing Good Microgrant Program: This grant opportunity provides up to $2,500 in funding to individual food entrepreneurs and/or including food growers, and up to $7,500 in funding to 501(c)3 nonprofit cooperatives, culinary incubators, and/or workforce development programs to build capacity to scale their products more broadly.
  • Preference will be given to growers or producers of healthy, culturally relevant foods that  fit USDA K-12 meal pattern requirements and for prepared items such as condiments, sauces, soups, stews, breads, and entrees.
  • The deadline for Spring Submissions for this grant opportunity is March 31st, with the deadline for Summer submissions being July 30th and Fall/Winter submissions being November 30th.
• Seeding Solutions Program: Seeding Solutions encourages the development of unique partnerships that support innovative and transformative research focused on the Challenge Areas. Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research will award a total of up to $10 million in grants through the 2021 Seeding Solutions program.
  • Pre-Applications Due: March 17, 2021 5:00 p.m
  • Full Application Invitation: May 5, 2021
  • Full Applications Due: July 7, 2021 5:00 p.m ET

• Neighborhood Events Matching Funds Grant Program: This program is administered by the five Regional Service Offices to promote community engagement, encourage capacity building, networking, and stimulate the local economy.
  • Funding Cycle: July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021
• COVID-19 Layoff Aversion Fund: Governor Larry Hogan and the Maryland Department of Labor have launched the new COVID-19 Layoff Aversion Fund, which is designed to support businesses undergoing economic stresses due to the pandemic by preventing or minimizing the duration of unemployment resulting from layoffs. The award (up to $50,000 per applicant), will be a quick deployable benefit and customizable to the specific needs of your business to minimize the need for layoffs.