Federal

Rural Business Enterprise Grants

The RBEG program provides grants for rural projects that finance and facilitate development of small and emerging rural businesses help fund business incubators, and help fund employment related adult education programs. To assist with business development, RBEGs may fund a broad array of activities.

Eligible Recipients:
Rural public entities (towns, communities, State agencies, and authorities), Indian tribes and rural private non-profit corporations are eligible to apply for funding. At least 51 percent of the outstanding interest in any project must have membership or be owned by U.S. citizens or resident aliens.

Eligible Projects:
The RBEG program is a broad-based program that reaches to the core of rural development in a number of ways. Examples of eligible fund use include:

  • Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights of way;
  • Construction, conversion, renovation of buildings, plants, machinery, equipment, access streets and roads, parking areas, utilities;
  • Pollution control and abatement;
  • Capitalization of revolving loan funds including funds that will make loans for start ups and working capital;
  • Training and technical assistance;
  • Distance adult learning for job training and advancement;
  • Rural transportation improvement; and
  • Project planning.

Any project funded under the RBEG program should benefit small and emerging private businesses in rural areas. Small and emerging private businesses are those that will employ 50 or fewer new employees and have less than $1 million in projected gross revenues.

Funding Source:
USDA Rural Development

Funding Amount:
$10,000 to $500,000

Deadline:
Recurring

Contact:
USDA Rural Development State Office
441 South Salina St.
Suite 357
Syracuse, NY 13202
315-477-6400
Fax: 315-477-6438

More Information:
http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/intermediary-relending-program

Intermediary Relending Program

The purpose of the IRP program is to alleviate poverty and increase economic activity and employment in rural communities. Under the IRP program, loans are provided to local organizations (intermediaries) for the establishment of revolving loan funds. These revolving loan funds are used to assist with financing business and economic development activity to create or retain jobs in disadvantaged and remote communities. Intermediaries are encouraged to work in concert with State and regional strategies, and in partnership with other public and private organizations that can provide complimentary resources.

Eligible Recipients:
Private non-profit corporations, public agencies, Indian groups, and cooperatives with at least 51 percent rural membership aimed at increasing income for producer members or purchasing power for consumer members may apply for intermediary lender status.

Eligible Projects:
Some examples of eligible projects are:

  • The acquisition, construction, conversion, enlargement, or repair of a business or business facility, particularly when jobs will be created or retained.
  • The purchase or development of land (easements, rights of way, buildings, facilities, leases, materials).
  • To purchase equipment, leasehold improvements, machinery, supplies, start-up costs and working capital, pollution control and abatement, transportation services, feasibility studies, hotels, motels, B&Bs, and convention centers.

Funding Source:
USDA Rural Development

Funding Amount:
Varies; $250,000 to $15 million

Deadline:
Recurring

Contact:
USDA Rural Development State Office
441 South Salina St.
Suite 357
Syracuse, NY 13202
315-477-6400
Fax: 315-477-6438

More Information:
http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/intermediary-relending-program

Business and Industry Guaranteed Loans

The purpose of the B&I Guaranteed Loan Program is to improve, develop, or finance business, industry, and employment and improve the economic and environmental climate in rural communities. This purpose is achieved by bolstering the existing private credit structure through the guarantee of quality loans which will provide lasting community benefits.

Eligible Recipients:
A borrower may be a cooperative organization, corporation, partnership, or other legal entity organized and operated on a profit or nonprofit basis; an Indian tribe on a Federal or State reservation or another Federally recognized tribal group; a public body; or an individual. A borrower must be engaged in or proposing to engage in a business that will:

  • Provide employment;
  • Improve the economic or environmental climate;
  • Promote the conservation, development, and use of water for aquaculture; or
  • Reduce reliance on nonrenewable energy resources by encouraging the development and construction of solar energy systems and other renewable energy systems.

Eligible Projects:

  • Business and industrial acquisitions when the loan will keep the business from closing, prevent the loss of employment opportunities, or provide expanded job opportunities.
  • Business conversion, enlargement, repair, modernization, or development.
  • Purchase and development of land, easements, rights-of-way, buildings, or facilities.
  • Purchase of equipment, leasehold improvements, machinery, supplies, or inventory.

Funding Source:
USDA Rural Development

Funding Amount:
Loan must not exceed 25 million; some exceptions may be granted

Deadline:
Recurring

Contact:
USDA Rural Development State Office
441 South Salina St.
Suite 357
Syracuse, NY 13202
315-477-6400
Fax: 315-477-6438

More Information:
https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/business-industry-loan-guarantees

Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program

The REDLG program provides funding to rural projects through local utility organizations. Under the REDLoan program, USDA provides zero-interest loans to local utilities which they, in turn, pass through to local businesses (ultimate recipients) for projects that will create and retain employment in rural areas. Under the REDGrant program, USDA provides grant funds to local utility organizations which use the funding to establish revolving loan funds for projects that will create or retain rural jobs.

Eligible Recipients:
To receive funding under the REDLG program an entity must:

  • Have borrowed and repaid or prepaid an insured, direct, or guaranteed loan received under the Rural Electrification Act; or
  • Be a not-for-profit utility that is eligible to receive assistance from the Rural Development Electric or Telecommunication Program; or
  • Be a current Rural Development Electric or Telecommunication Programs Borrower.

Eligible Projects:
REDLG grantees and borrowers pass the funding on to eligible projects. Examples of eligible projects include:

  • Capitalization of revolving loan funds,
  • Technical assistance in conjunction with projects funded under a zero interest REDLoan,
  • Business Incubators,
  • Community Development Assistance to non-profits and public bodies, and
  • Facilities and equipment for education and training for rural residents to facilitate economic development.

Funding Source:
USDA Rural Development

Funding Amount:
Up to $740,000 for loans
Up to $300,000 for grants

Deadline:
Recurring

Contact:
USDA Rural Development State Office
441 South Salina St.
Suite 357
Syracuse, NY 13202
315-477-6400
Fax: 315-477-6438

More Information:
http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/rural-economic-development-loan-grant-program

Professional Development Grants

Northeast SARE Professional Development grants build the knowledge base and educational infrastructure so that Cooperative Extension educators and other agricultural professionals can get and use the knowledge they need to help farmers move toward greater sustainability.

Eligible Recipients:
Anyone can apply for a Professional Development grant, but applicants should have direct and substantial experience delivering agricultural education to extension and other agricultural service providers. Professional Development projects draw on scientific and pedagogic expertise, and all applicants should demonstrate a firm grasp of current barriers and issues in sustainable agriculture.

Eligible Projects:
Professional Development projects can cover a wide range of topics—recently SARE has funded training in ecological weed management, labor, whole-farm nutrient planning, tillage, season extension, carbon trading, and the needs of new farmers, among other things. In the course of these projects, SARE funds have also been used to produce books, videos, webcasts, and other media tools to improve participants’ understanding of sustainable techniques.

Funding Source:
Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NE SARE)

Funding Amount:
$30,000 to $150,000

Deadline:
Recurring; next round opens Summer 2019

Contact:
Northeast SARE
655 Spear St.
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405
802-656-0471
www.nesare.org

More Information:
www.nesare.org/Grants/Get-a-Grant/Professional-Development-Grant

Research and Education Grants

Northeast SARE seeks proposals for research, education and on-farm demonstration projects, and the emphasis is on projects that lead directly to improved farming practices and an enhanced quality of life for farmers and rural communities. Projects must involve farmers and other stakeholders in planning, implementing, and evaluating a potential project; we also fund projects where research, Cooperative Extension, and education are closely linked.

Eligible Recipients:
Anyone can apply for a Research and Education grant, but applicants should have experience doing agricultural research, preferably research in cooperation with commercial farmers and applied research that will translate quickly into improved practices on the ground. All applicants must demonstrate a firm grasp of current barriers and issues in sustainable agriculture.

Eligible Projects:
Research and Education projects can cover a wide range of topics—recently SARE has funded cover crop trials, farm-based energy, new approaches to livestock health, nutrient management and recycling, agritourism, and new directions in integrated crop and pest management, among other things. In the course of these projects SARE funds have also been used to produce books, videos, webcasts, and other media tools to improve participants’ understanding of sustainable techniques.

Funding Source:
Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NE SARE)

Funding Amount:
Varies

Deadline:
Recurring; next round opens Summer 2019

Contact:
Northeast SARE
655 Spear St.
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405
802-656-0471
www.nesare.org

More Information:
www.nesare.org/Grants/Get-a-Grant/Research-and-Education-Grant

 

Partnership Grants

The purpose of the Partnership Grants program is to support agricultural service providers who work directly with farmers to do on-farm demonstrations, research, marketing, and other projects that will add to our understanding of sustainable agriculture.

Eligible Recipients:
Agricultural service providers—extension staff, nonprofits, consultants, state departments of agriculture, and others working in the agricultural community. In addition, applicant must be currently working with farmers and the farmers cooperating in the project must be willing to submit a letter with the grant application that indicates their commitment to the project and outlines the duties they will perform. If the project involves field experiments, they must take place on working farms. Preference is given to projects involving two or more farms, and to projects with a strong outreach component.

Eligible Projects:
Partnership projects can address a variety of topics, including the development of beneficial insect habitat, alternative crops or animals, practices that make use of biological cycles for improved soil, plant, and pest management, marketing, adding value, grazing, energy, tool or technology development, agroforestry, farm management, farm labor, or water quality. Proposals should be relevant to farming and sustainability issues in the Northeast, and should offer both research and outreach so that results will be available to the wider farm community.

Funding Source:
Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NE SARE)

Funding Amount:
Up to $15,000

Deadline:
April 2019

Contact:
Northeast SARE
655 Spear St.
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405
802-656-0471
www.nesare.org

More Information:
www.nesare.org/Grants/Get-a-Grant/Partnership-Grant

Farmer Grants

The goal of the Farmer Grants program is to develop, refine, and demonstrate new sustainable techniques and to explore innovative ideas developed by farmers across the region. Farmer grants projects should seek new knowledge that other farmers can use and should address questions that are directly linked to improved profits, better stewardship, and stronger rural communities.

Eligible Recipients:
Applicant must be a farmer in the Northeast SARE region. Applicant need not be farming full time, but the operation should have an established crop or animal product that is sold on a regular basis. Institutional and incorporated farms may apply, but the primary activity of that farm must be to produce and sell food under the kinds of economic constraints that affect commercial growers.

Eligible Projects:
Farmer Grants funds can be used to explore new marketing and production techniques, pest management, cover crops, composting, agroforestry, new crop trials, bee health and alternative pollinators, new tool development, and a very broad range of other topics that improve profitability, stewardship, and the rural community. Projects must test a genuinely new idea, offer a new twist on an old one, and show evidence of careful planning. Funds can be used to pay farmers for their time, for project-related materials, for project costs like consulting fees or soil tests, and for any communications or outreach expenses associated with telling others about project results.

Funding Source:
Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NE SARE)

Funding Amount:
Up to $15,000

Deadline:
Recurring

Contact:
Northeast SARE
655 Spear St.
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405
802-656-0471
www.nesare.org

More Information:
www.nesare.org/Grants/Get-a-Grant/Farmer-Grant

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is a voluntary land retirement program that helps agricultural producers protect environmentally sensitive land, decrease erosion, restore wildlife habitat, and safeguard ground and surface water. CREP is an offshoot of the country’s largest private-lands environmental improvement program—the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

Eligible Recipients:
A specific CREP project begins when a state, Indian Tribe, local government, or local non-governmental entity identifies an agriculture related environmental issue of state or national significance. The parties and FSA then develop a project proposal to address particular environmental issues and goals.

Eligible Projects:
Like CRP, CREP contracts require a 10 to 15-year commitment to keep lands out of agricultural production. CREP provides payments to participants who offer eligible land.

Funding Source:
USDA Farm Service Agency

Funding Amount:
Varies

Matching Requirements:
50/50

Deadline:
Recurring

Contact:
New York State FSA Office
441 South Salina St.
Suite 536
Syracuse, NY 13202
315-477-6300
Fax: 315-477-6323
www.fsa.usda.gov

More Information:
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=prod&topic=cep

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a voluntary program for agricultural landowners. Through CRP, you can receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource conserving covers on eligible farmland.

Eligible Producers:
To be eligible for CRP enrollment, a producer must have owned or operated the land for at least 12 months prior to close of the CRP sign-up period.

Eligible Land:
To be eligible for placement in CRP, land must be either:

  1. Cropland (including field margins) that is planted to an agricultural commodity 4 of the previous 6 crop years from 2008 to 2013, and which is physically and legally capable of being planted in a normal manner to an agricultural commodity; or
  2. Certain marginal pastureland that is suitable for use as a riparian buffer or for similar water quality purposes.

Also, the land must be eligible and suitable for any of the following conservation practices: riparian buffers; wildlife habitat buffers; wetland buffers; filter strips; wetland restoration; grass waterways; shelterbelts; living snow fences; contour grass strips; salt tolerant vegetation; and shallow water areas for wildlife.

Funding Source:
USDA Farm Service Agency

Funding Amount:
Varies

Deadline:
Recurring

Contact:
New York State FSA Office
441 South Salina St.
Suite 536
Syracuse, NY 13202
315-477-6300
Fax: 315-477-6323
www.fsa.usda.gov

More Information:
www.fsa.usda.gov/crp