Farms for the Future – Phase 1 & 2 Grant Applications Now Open
The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's (DACF) Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources is welcoming applications for the Farms for the Future (FFF) program.
FFF is designed to provide successful applicants with the technical assistance and financial resources needed to identify, explore, and implement a change to their farm business that will lead to greater profitability and a more viable operation.
The Phase 1 Grant is a planning grant for $6,000. Recipients can use these dollars to test or explore a new idea and to get 1-on-1 tailored business planning support from qualified service providers. Phase 2 recipients are eligible for a $25,000 cash grant and a subsidized 2% interest rate when borrowing from DACF’s Agricultural Marketing Loan Fund.
This is one of several grant programs open to Maine farmers and food producers – for more information on other opportunities from the Division of Agricultural Resource Development, please visit our website.
How to Apply
The Request for Application for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 and all application materials can be obtained at the Division of Procurement Services website.
All required materials must be submitted to Proposals@maine.gov by 11:59 p.m., local time, on February 6, 2023.
Eligibility
Any farm that meets the following four criteria is eligible to apply for a $6,000 grant in Phase 1 of FFF:
- Be a private, for-profit company that grows or produces agricultural products for commercial sale (excluding marijuana farms, except as permitted under 7MRS Ch.406A, Section 2231);
- Own and operate a Farm Business that has been producing agricultural products commercially in the State of Maine for at least two years at the time of application;
- Have ownership of the land that is being farmed, or be a partner or shareholder in a legal entity that owns the farmland; or if the farmland has been purchased recently, provide evidence of at least two years (24 months) of experience operating a commercial farm operation elsewhere in Maine;
- Have State of Maine certification or licensure as required for their type of agricultural operation.
There are additional eligibility requirements and conditions listed in the RFA, please refer to that document for complete details.
Farms which have successfully completed Phase 1 of the program are eligible to apply for Phase 2 investment support in any of the next five years of grant applications.
This program is run on an annual basis and we encourage all interested producers to consider applying in this or in future cycles.
Contact Information
Questions about FFF must be submitted to Alex Redfield, Program Administrator, at alexander.redfield@maine.gov prior to January 20 at 11:59 PM. Answers will be posted publicly to the DAFS grants page by January 25, 2023.
BAFRR is committed to accommodating applicants who would otherwise struggle to complete this application due to language or technology barriers. Please contact Alex Redfield at (207)592-0640 or via email to explore alternative arrangements.
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