Small Farm Grants Available – FruitGuys

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The FruitGuys Community Fund Releases Application for 2018 Grant Cycle Small Farm Grants

The FruitGuys Fiscally Sponsored Project of Community Initiatives to Provide Small Farm Grants Across America in Support of Sustainable Projects

The FruitGuys Community Fund, a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives, has opened applications for small farm grants for its 2018 grant cycle. Requests for letters of intent are due by January 8, 2018. 

The FruitGuys Community Fund provides small farm grants of up to $5,000 each to small farms and agricultural nonprofits for sustainability projects that have positive impacts on the environment, local food systems, and farm diversity. To be considered, projects should help farms or orchards operate more sustainably, both environmentally and economically, and strengthen community outreach. 

“Our mission is to support the small, independent farms in America that are working to create a better environment for us all. We believe it’s important to promote sustainable agriculture in America, and to ensure that practice continues, we want to lend a helping hand to these farms,” says Chris Mittelstaedt, founder and CEO of The FruitGuys and board advisor for the Community Fund. “We’re excited to open the applications for 2018’s grant cycle to see what some of the great farms across America are doing to better this planet.”

To be eligible for The FruitGuys Community Fund small farm grants, a farm must be small to medium-sized as determined by acreage in agricultural production. Additionally, the farm must engage in community outreach, education, or policy advocacy surrounding sustainable agriculture. Further details about what qualifies as community outreach will be provided within the application. The applicant must be an owner/operator or have long-term, legal access to the land. Farmers that The FruitGuys source from will be considered for the grant, but past grant recipients will not. To apply for the 2018 grants and for more information on eligibility, visit fruitguyscommunityfund.org/apply.

Twenty finalists for small farm grants will be chosen by January 29, 2018. These finalists will be asked to submit a supplementary application that includes a short video. Up to 12 of the finalists will receive funding, and grants of up to $5,000 each will be awarded in spring 2018. 

Whenever possible, The FruitGuys sources fruit from small, independent, and family-run American farms, giving the company a deeper understanding of and connection to the challenges these farms face. In 2008, the company organized a Farm Steward Program to give grants to American farms to support sustainable agriculture projects. In 2012, the Farm Steward Program was officially established as a nonprofit and was renamed The FruitGuys Community Fund. 

Since 2012, The FruitGuys Community Fund has awarded more than $147,000 in small farm grants to 41 farms across the nation. Last year, The FruitGuys selected 10 farms from over 70 letters of intent to receive grants for projects designed to support pollinators; conserve soil, water, and energy; extend the growing season; increase harvests; and more. To view the full list of grant recipients and read about each of their funded projects, visit fruitguyscommunityfund.org/alumni-grantees.

For more information on The FruitGuys and the Community Fund, visit fruitguyscommunityfund.org. 

ABOUT THE FRUITGUYS
The FruitGuys delivers wellness to workplaces across America in the form of boxes of farm-fresh fruit and healthy, clean-ingredient snacks. The goal? To replace break-room junk food and promote healthy snacking. The company is committed to sourcing fruit from small farms across the U.S. and also serves communities in need through weekly donations to homeless shelters, food banks, and other nonprofits. Founded by CEO Chris Mittelstaedt in his one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco in 1998, The FruitGuys is still family owned and operated, and maintains its commitment to giving back as well as expanding its network of family farms in each of its regional hubs across the U.S. Today, The FruitGuys is the nation’s No. 1 provider of farm-fresh fruit to businesses. For more information, visit fruitguys.com. 

 

Learn more about funding resources including loans and grants from beginningfarmers.org at https://www.beginningfarmers.org/funding-resources/