Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund Grants Now Open

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Taylor in Beginning Farmers, Farming Resources, Financing, Funding, Veterans // 0 Comments

Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund Grants Available Now from the Farmer Veteran Coalition

Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund Grants provide direct assistance to veterans who are in their beginning years of farming or ranching. The Fellowship Fund does not give money directly to the veteran, but rather to third-party vendors for items the veteran has identified will make a crucial difference in the launch of their farm business. Awards range from $1,000 to $5,000, and more than $1.9 million has been awarded to veterans since 2011.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR FARMER VETERAN FELLOWSHIP FUND GRANTS?

Veterans of any branch of the U.S. Military from all service eras–including those currently serving
Those who received a characterization of service of ‘Honorable’ upon discharge
Must have an agricultural business in operation and a functional business plan
Must be willing to fully participate in the Fellowship Program, which includes periodic progress reports, mentoring other farmer veterans and a desire to make a positive impact on the farmer veteran community

HOW TO APPLY

The application for the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund is OPEN. The application will remain open until 5 P.M. PST on March 8.

APPLY NOW

The application for Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund Grants opens once per year at which time eligible veterans are given no less than four (4) weeks to submit a fully completed application. In 2019, applications will be accepted from February 1 to March 8 at 5 P.M. PST. Click here to apply now!

Once the application period ends, an advisory panel of agricultural industry professionals convenes to review submissions. The application review process can take up to two months with awardees usually being notified in the Spring.

Farmer veterans who are selected as Fellowship recipients have six (6) months to use their award as outlined in their application or risk losing it to another deserving farmer veteran.

Upon notification of their award, Fellowship recipients may begin seeking out third-party vendors to make their purchase. All third-party vendors must be approved by the Fellowship Fund manager prior to purchase.

After an approved third-party vendor has been selected, the Fellowship Fund manager makes the payment on the farmer veteran’s behalf.

Click here to read Frequently Asked Questions

THE APPLICATION

The application for Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund Grants, which consists of both short answer and essay questions, is comprised of five main focus areas: military service, educational background, prior farming experience, business and financial planning, and short-term and long-term goals.

Applicants are evaluated based on the following criteria:

Farm training/experience and/or transferable skills
Personal investment in their farm business
Strength of funding request and ability to show how an award will help grow their farm business
Vision and goals for the future of their business
Community involvement

Required Documents
Throughout the course of completing the application you will be required to upload the following additional document: