June 2024 Update:

AFT has recently centralized and rebranded our grantmaking. Our New England Farmer Microgrants Program will now be administered under AFT’s larger grant–making umbrella, the Brighter Future Fund (“BFF”). While our name is changing, our funding opportunities for New England farmers will look similar to past years.

Brighter Future Fund’s National Grant Round (Applications closed July 8, 2024)

The Brighter Future Fund’s National Grant for Historically Underserved Farmers & Ranchers 2024-25 cycle accepted applications in early July. The deadline to apply was July 8, 2024. All applicants will be notified of their status by October 2024.

Farmers located in any of the 6 New England states (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut) who meet other eligibility criteria were eligible to apply. Click here to see eligibility requirements and read the guidelines.

These $5,000 grants can fund projects related to 1) improving farm viability, 2) accessing, transferring, or permanently protecting farmland, or 3) adopting regenerative farming practices and increasing resilience to climate change. Due to funding priorities, AFT expects to be able to award extra funding in New England through this national grant round for farmland access/acquisition, succession, and transfer projects.

Questions? Contact Kristen Irvin, Farm Viability Program Associate, at kirvin@farmland.org.