Farmers Resilience Grant Program
The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op and California FarmLink have partnered to create the Farmers Resilience Fund, a grant program intended to support small farmers and ranchers aiming to bolster their agricultural enterprises.
This program targets specific areas:
- Enhancing farm sustainability through infrastructure or equipment, emphasizing regenerative practices, soil enrichment (carbon farming), improved irrigation efficiency, and initial organic certification.
- Strengthening business resilience by offering professional services such as accounting system setup or enhancement through bookkeepers, financial planning guidance, and legal counsel on business structure, succession planning, or other pertinent topics vital for advancement.
Applications for the 2024 Farmers Resilience Grant are now closed.
The 2024 application window spans from January 15 to February 29.
After the deadline, applications will be compiled for review. In March the review committee will assess applications based on eligibility criteria and alignment with the grant objectives. Awards will be granted to the highest-scoring applicants, contingent on available funds.
Applicants will receive notifications regarding their grant status in early to mid- April.
Eligible applicants must come from Sacramento, San Joaquin, Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sutter, Yolo, and Solano counties. Approximately $30,000 to $35,000 will be allocated for grants, with individual requests capped at $7,500.
Applicants should be prepared to include a budget for proposed projects or infrastructure including fairly detailed cost estimates for equipment purchases.
The review committee consists of one representative from each partner organization and one independent farmer.
2023 Grant Recipients:
Brown Sugar Farm - $5,000
Brown Sugar Farm is an urban farm growing naturally farmed cut flowers and herbs while providing fertility and health to the ecosystem through fungi and ferments. They use their growing space to practice regenerative agriculture with no-till row crops and have a diverse permaculture orchard.
Dewey Farms - $5,000
Dewey Farms is a small family run farm, located in Northern California, just north of Woodland, CA. We have proudly served the greater Sacramento area and beyond for over 100 years!
We grow and sell almonds, walnuts, and pistachios, as well as small batch almond butter and pistachio butter. Everything we grow is tended to with love and care, and knowledge passed down from farmer to farmer over several generations.
Moua Farm - $5,000
Moua Farm grows fresh fruit and vegetables in Sacramento County. Ge particularly focuses on Asian varieties from her home country of Laos. Examples are bok choi, lemongrass, water spinach, sweet yams, Chinese Kabocha, pea shoots, mustard greens, jicama, sunchoke, purslane, eggplants, and much more. Ge also grows fresh herbs and cut flowers. All produce is sold at three different farmer's markets in Sacramento and San Francisco.
Spreadwing Farm - $4,400
Spreadwing Farm is committed to producing nutrient dense produce, grass finished beef and pastured poultry. We use rotational grazing of livestock (chickens, cows, goats) in our gardens and orchards, along with compost and mineral amendments, to support active soil ecosystems and achieve ideal soil mineral balancing.
Three Sisters Gardens - $5,000
Three Sisters Gardens is a non-profit organization in West Sacramento, California, that brings together community members to cultivate food and life. Our primary goal is to give back to the community by inspiring and empowering youth through gardening, with a focus on teaching them how to grow, harvest, and distribute organic vegetables in their local area.
2022 Grant Recipients:
Thank you to our Farmers Resilience Grant Committee members:
Reggie Knox
CEO, California FarmLink
Lauren McNees
Owner, Rainwater Ranch
And thank you to the supporting staff from the Co-op and FarmLink:
Gary Peterson
Director of Communications
and Philanthropy, California FarmLink
Stacie Larkin
Marketing Director, Sacramento
Natural Foods Co-op