Strengthen Your Farm: 2026 AFT Regenerate Virginia Grants Open Dec. 1–19
(Washington, D.C.) — American Farmland Trust (AFT) has announced a call for applications for its 2026 Regenerate Virginia grant opportunities, open from December 1 to December 19, 2025. In addition to the online application, farmers and ranchers across the Commonwealth are encouraged to access the downloadable application, eligibility guidance, FAQs, and Q&A Office Hours currently available.
The two grants—the Healthy Soils Grant and the Farm Vitality Grant—are part of AFT’s statewide Regenerate Virginia initiative, powered by generous anonymous supporters and AFT’s national Brighter Future Fund. Launched in 2020, the Brighter Future Fund helps farmers nationwide navigate challenges from climate impacts to market volatility while advancing equity, resilience, and long-term opportunities in agriculture.
“Regenerate Virginia brings together the tools farmers need to build healthier soils, strengthen their operations, and secure the future of agriculture in the Commonwealth,” said Amanda Cather, AFT’s Mid-Atlantic Deputy Director. “Through these grants, we’re investing directly in farmers’ and ranchers’ ability to innovate, grow, and secure the long-term health of their farms and communities.
To support applicants, AFT will host virtual Q&A Office Hours:
Monday, December 1, at 1:00 PM and Monday, December 15, at 7:00 PM.
The Healthy Soils Grant—offered in partnership with the Virginia Soil Health Coalition—supports innovative on-farm practices that build soil health and address gaps not covered by other programs. Individual producers may apply for awards up to $30,000. The grant encourages regenerative approaches that improve resilience, enhance profitability, and accelerate systems-level change.
The Farm Vitality Grant provides up to $25,000 per producer for individualized business consulting and planning services that strengthen long-term farm viability. Eligible activities include farm succession planning, enterprise diversification, financial and labor management, and strategic transitions into regenerative or expanded operations.
The 2026 application window follows a strong first year of impact. In July, AFT announced that it had awarded $896,600 through these grant programs to 38 Virginia farmers and ranchers—representing one-third of all Brighter Future Fund grants nationwide. Funded projects are already driving outcomes such as increased soil cover and biodiversity, expanded market opportunities, and reduced input costs through practices including diversified cover crops, biochar applications, and rotational grazing.
Farmers say the support is transformative. 2025 recipient, Stephanie Miller of Mystic Pine Farm, shared how Farm Vitality funding will stabilize and strengthen her young business:
“Despite challenges accessing resources, stable markets, and needed infrastructure, we’ve managed to feed 450 families and build strong community partnerships. Support through this grant will help us stabilize our business structure and continue our work advancing food sovereignty in our community.”
More information about the Healthy Soils and Farm Vitality Grants—as well as other opportunities supported by the Brighter Future Fund—is available on the Mid-Atlantic American Farmland Trust webpage: https://farmland.org/mid-atlantic-grants
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American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms No Food® message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally sound farming practices on millions of additional acres, and supported thousands of farm families.
