Applications Due June 15th, 2020 at 6pm EST.
Open to farmers in Florida, South Carolina, US Virgin Islands, and Virginia (in select counties, see list below)
As the impacts of COVID-19 continue to unfold day-to-day, we recognize that farmers across the country are facing extreme difficulties. We acknowledge the need for immediate relief for affected farm families with the simultaneous building of long-term resilience strategy. In response to this need, Farm Aid launched the Farm Aid COVID-19 Farmer Resilience Initiative to provide emergency relief grants in the amount of $500 for farmers in Virginia**, South Carolina, Florida, and US Virgin Islands. These grants are meant to provide assistance to those who are drastically affected by COVID-19, giving them initial relief until greater amounts of money become available. The grants will be distributed through grassroots agencies like RAFI-USA to aid in relationship building through the course of recovery and beyond. While distributing grants, Farm Aid will convene with its national partners to continually assess the COVID-19 impact.
To see if you would be a good candidate for this funding and to access the application, please read the following information:
Purpose of Funds: The mini-grant funding is $500 and is meant to lessen the immediate financial needs of farmers and their households. This means funds could cover expenses like food, medical bills, utility bills, etc. The funds are NOT meant to cover farm production expenses.
Eligibility: Currently we are only able to award funding to farmers in Virginia**, South Carolina, Florida, or US Virgin Islands.
**Note The following Virginia counties are NOT eligible for this grant: Alleghany, Bath, Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Carroll, Craig, Dickenson, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Henry, Highland, Lee, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Rockbridge, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe. (Farmers in these counties may be eligible through another Farm Aid COVID-19 Farmer Resilience Initiative partnership with Community Food Alliance)
Priority Applicants: Because available funds are limited, we will prioritize farmers who 1) are severely impacted by COVID-19 to the degree that they are struggling to cover ordinary expenses, 2) are not able to access other federally-funded emergency relief funds (i.e. PPP, EIDL), and 3) earn a substantial portion of their household income from farming. Because our funds are limited, we ask that farmers carefully consider whether this emergency relief grant applies to their situation.
Review Process: All applications will be reviewed by a third-party review committee. Applications will be ranked from highest to lowest financial need and funds will be distributed to those in the highest need first. We do not expect to be able to fund all applications submitted.
Application and Payment Process: The application for emergency relief funds is now live! There is an online survey (link below) or a word document version you can download, fill out, and email back to Jarred White at [email protected]. Applications are due June 15th, 2020 at 6pm. We expect to start distributing grant awards by early July.
Complete the Online Application Here
Or Apply with the Word Document Version Here
Question?
If you have questions about the application or are having difficulty accessing the application, contact Jarred White at [email protected].