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Brighter Future Fund’s New England Regenerative Livestock Farming Grants

The Brighter Future Fund’s New England Regenerative Livestock Farming Grants (formerly the Western New England Regenerative Livestock Farming Grant) provide funds to livestock farmers in select counties in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut for the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices. The funds are intended to support field-based conservation practice projects that improve soil health, water quality, and pollinator habitat. Applicants can request up to $10,000 under this funding opportunity. This grant will only fund existing livestock operations and is not able to fund start-up livestock operations. Applicants must be raising livestock products for their community for sale or for barter/exchange.

ELIGIBILITY:

Who is eligible to apply? Livestock farmers in these counties seeking to implement practices for improved soil health, water quality, and pollinator habitat. Please consult the grant guidelines for more eligibility information. 

APPLICATION PERIOD IS NOW CLOSED:

Applications for the 2025 grant cycle were accepted October 1 – November 29, 2024. Recipients were notified early 2025. Applications for 2026 will open on September 15, 2025.

Why this Project Area? 

The Connecticut River Valley contains some of the most fertile soils in New England, but livestock farmers in this region face unique challenges regarding water quality. AFT is leading a larger, multi-year project focused on financial and technical assistance for regenerative livestock farming in this geographic area, and significant funding has been made available through this project as microgrants. Because of this, the NEFMP livestock grant is limited to farmers located in the counties listed here.

Read more about AFT’s work in this area through our greater Western New England Regenerative Livestock Farming regional collaborative partnership project. 

Some examples of eligible projects include: Cover crops, pasture seeding, pollinator habitat creation, rotational grazing, reducing tillage, soil amendments. 

June 2024 Update:

American Farmland Trust has recently centralized and rebranded our grantmaking. Starting in 2024, the New England Farmer Microgrants Program grants will be administered under American Farmland Trust’s larger grant–making umbrella, the Brighter Future Fund (“BFF”). For more information on AFT’s grantmaking, visit the Brighter Future Fund’s website!

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