USDA NIFA via the four regional SARE offices
GRANTA real grant with a working farmer's own name on the award — the rarest thing on this page. North Central: $15,000 individual / $30,000 team, about 40 funded a year. Northeast: $5,000–$30,000. Southern ("Producer Grants"): $20,000 individual / $25,000 organization. Western: up to $35,000. It funds RESEARCH on your farm — your time, materials, soil tests, consulting, outreach. It will NOT buy the barn or the greenhouse; that is EQIP. Pairing a SARE grant with an EQIP high tunnel is the most useful combination in USDA farm funding.
The bar is low: about $1,000 of annual farm sales (the Census of Agriculture farm definition). No restriction on farm size or years farming, and FARM EMPLOYEES are eligible in the Northeast and Southern regions. Paid by reimbursement — Northeast states plainly that advance payments are not possible. Southern calls open in September, awards in February.
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Not financial or legal advice. Program terms change — verify eligibility, amounts, and deadlines with the administering agency before acting.