Farmer Veteran Fund Fellowship 2021

Posted on January 2, 2021 by Taylor in Beginning Farmers, Farming Resources, Funding, Veterans // 0 Comments

The 2021 Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) Farmer Veteran Fund is Now Accepting Applications

The Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund is a small grant program that provides direct assistance to veterans who are in their beginning years of farming or ranching. Awards range from $1,000 to $5,000 to purchase equipment or supplies that will support your farm business. The application process is extremely competitive and submitting an application does not guarantee funding.

Farmer Veteran Fund Application Process

It will be helpful to have the following information available during the process: military service history, educational background, farming history, business and financial plans, short term and long term goals. The application process can take 1-2 hours to complete. It is strongly recommended that you write your responses in a Word document on your computer, and save the document often. Copy and paste the text over to the application. This will prevent losing information in the case of a technological malfunction.

Previous recipients of the Fellowship award are not eligible to receive another Fellowship, but may use this form to apply for Geared to Give.

Previous Tractor Supply gift certificate awardees are invited to apply.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, currently be on active-duty, or serving in the military reserve/National Guard.
Applicants must be members of FVC (you can join for free at farmvetco.org)
Applicants must have an honorable discharge (other characters of discharge may be accepted on a case-by-case basis). Active duty or reserve members need a command support letter.
Applicants must have an agricultural business in operation, and submit a business plan.
Applicants must be willing to fully participate in the Fellowship Program, which includes reporting progress, capturing photos of the purchase, and mentoring aspiring veteran farmers if needed.
Applicants must have a desire to continue to serve others and make a positive impact on the farmer veteran community.

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria

Farm Training, Experience, and/or Transferable skills.
Personal Investment in the farm business.
Strategic and succinct funding request that will help the business grow in the long term.
Vision and goals for the future of the business.
Community involvement.

Documents Required: (uploaded in a digital file format as a word document, PDF or JPEG)

Documentation of military service. All discharged service members must provide their most recent DD-214 that includes character of service (Member 4). Active, Reservist, or National Guard applicants must provide a command support letter.
A business plan, outlining the business you currently operate and future business goals. Please keep your business plan under 10 pages.
The application includes a short essay question exploring the following areas: motivation and experiences that led to launching your business and career ambitions in agriculture. Minimum one paragraph, maximum one page. You will only be evaluated on content, not spelling or grammar.

Fellowship Expectations

Purchases are made through third party vendors and must be directly related to building your agricultural business. If awarded, you must follow FVC’s purchasing procedures.
As part of your role as a Fellow, we may ask you to become an ambassador of FVC, with the option to respond to media requests or attend events to further our mission.
You will be expected to provide periodic business and progress reports when requested.
You will be expected to maintain a high moral character while representing FVC in the community.

Farmer Veteran Fund Fellowship 2021