Grant Opportunities for Food System Organizations and Businesses

Grant Opportunities for Food Assistance & Non-profit Partner

• The Chesapeake Bay Funders and Chesapeake Bay Trust have released the RFP for their capacity building grant. This is a good opportunity for emerging groups and those in need of support for transition and growth, particularly those from underserved or marginalized communities, to grow their programs and build long term sustainability. Click here for more information.
• Healthcare Initiative Foundation’s FY23 Capacity Building application is now open and closes on December 16. HIF makes grants to nonprofits that have county-based health programs activities. Click here for more information.
• Impact 100 DC opens its 2023 grants cycle in December 2022. The high-impact grant of $100,000 is funded by membership in Impact 100 DC, an all-volunteer women’s philanthropic community dedicated to improving lives in the Greater Washington, DC area. Impact 100 DC will offer a series of informational workshops for prospective applicants via Zoom. Attendance is encouraged but not required. Interested applicants should emailgrants@impact100dc.org for applicable dates and the registration link.
• Nonprofit Security Grants: Montgomery County has approved $800,000 to be used for nonprofit organizations experiencing hate crimes or at significant risk of becoming targets of hate crimes. These grants are available to augment costs for security personnel or other security planning measures for nonprofit or faith-based organizations located in Montgomery County, Maryland.

• Grant Relief for On-Boarding Workers (GROW): The past few months WorkSource Montgomery (WSM) plans to award another $1 Million dollars over the next year until funds are exhausted. The GROW COVID-19 financial assistance is intended for both for-profit and not-for-profit business entities, negatively impacted by the pandemic, including but not limited to, hospitality (hotel and food service), transportation, retail, travel, cosmetology, dependent care, and other industries with front-line workers, and particularly for small & minority-owned businesses. For more information or to apply, CLICK HERE. For specific questions about the GROW program, contact Cynthia Grissom at cgrissom@worksourcemontgomery.com

• Walmart’s Local Community Grants: Local Community grants range from a minimum of $250 to a maximum of $5,000. Eligible nonprofit organizations must operate on the local level (or be an affiliate/chapter of a larger organization that operates locally) and directly benefit the service area of the facility from which they are requesting funding. Deadline, December 2022. 

• ALDI Smart Kids Fund: ALDI Smart Kids partners with organizations that make a positive impact on kids’ health and well-being, food insecurity and diversity, equity and inclusion programs. So whether your mission is to support kids through education, arts, athletics or any other program that inspires them to be active and healthy, we say kudos to you and encourage you to apply for support from the ALDI Smart Kids program. Please visit the website for more information on eligibility and timeline.

• 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.
• Asian American Center of Excellence Grants: Montgomery County’s Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI), part of the County’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), recently announced the launch of the Asian American Center of Excellence (AACE) and the release of a micro-grant funding opportunity. The goal of AACE is to support Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)-serving community-organizations in developing and increasing their capacity to successfully provide health, wellness and social support programs and services. To learn more, read the request for proposals, and apply for the funding, visit the Asian American Health Initiative’s website. Applications for funding will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12.

Grant Opportunities for Food Businesses & Farms:

• The Brighter Future Fund was launched in 2020 to assist farmers in successfully launching, growing, and sustaining farms in the face of forces impacting the food and agricultural system, including the COVID-19 pandemic, changing markets, severe weather, and climate change. Click here for more information.
• Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Grant: The Call for SARE 2023 Farmer Grants is now available. Approximately $750,000 has been allocated to fund projects for this cycle of Farmer Grants. Awards typically range from $5,000 to $30,000, depending upon a project’s complexity and duration.
• Grant Relief for On-Boarding Workers (GROW): The past few months WorkSource Montgomery (WSM) plans to award another $1 Million dollars over the next year until funds are exhausted. The GROW COVID-19 financial assistance is intended for both for-profit and not-for-profit business entities, negatively impacted by the pandemic, including but not limited to, hospitality (hotel and food service), transportation, retail, travel, cosmetology, dependent care, and other industries with front-line workers, and particularly for small & minority-owned businesses. For more information or to apply, CLICK HERE. For specific questions about the GROW program, contact Cynthia Grissom at cgrissom@worksourcemontgomery.com
• USDA FSA Grant to support GAP Certification and other Food Safety Expenses: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds specialty crop producers of available assistance to help cover certain costs of complying with regulatory and market-driven food safety certification requirements. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will accept applications for 2023 costs from Feb. 1, 2023, to Jan. 31, 2024.
• USDA FSA Microloans: Loans of up to $50,000 for down payment on land, buildings, projects, equipment, and several other approved uses. For farmer land owners and also for farm operators (non-owners).
• MARBIDCO Grants: Several grant programs to apply to, for cold storage, aggregation, urban ag, and more! Typically with a match.
• Farm Storage Facility Loan Program: The Farm Storage Facility Loan Program (FSFL) provides low-interest financing so producers can build or upgrade facilities to store commodities. Eligible commodities include grains, oilseeds, peanuts, pulse crops, hay, honey, renewable biomass commodities, fruits and vegetables, floriculture, hops, maple sap, milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, eggs, meat/poultry (unprocessed), rye and aquaculture. Eligible facility types include grain bins, hay barns, bulk tanks, and facilities for cold storage. Drying and handling and storage equipment is also eligible, including storage and handling trucks. Eligible facilities and equipment may be new or used, permanently affixed or portable.Since its inception in May 2000, more than 33,000 loans have been issued for on-farm storage, increasing storage capacity by 900 million bushels.FSFL is an excellent financing program for on-farm storage and handling for small and mid-sized farms, and for new farmers. Loan terms vary from 3 to 12 years. The maximum loan amount for storage facilities is $500,000. The maximum loan amount for storage and handling trucks is $100,000. In 2016 FSA introduced a new loan category, the microloan, for loans with an aggregate balance up to $50,000. Microloans offer a 5 percent down payment requirement, compared to a 15 percent down payment for a regular FSFL, and waive the regular three-year production history requirement.