Grants

Whether you’re a new farmer or you’re trying to expand or diversify your business, there are a number of grant and loan opportunities that can help you get some cash.

What is a grant?

Grants are usually available for projects that either generate research (new findings about agricultural technique, etc) or have some larger benefit to the community (i.e. supporting pollinators, ecological restoration, or community involvement). The money you receive from a grant doesn’t need to be paid back, but there are usually specific deliverables that you will need to report on. For example, if you get a grant to plant hedging for pollinator habitats, you may need to prove in writing and photos that you made your best effort to carry out the proposed activities.

What is the process for getting a grant?

To obtain a grant, you generally need to fill out an application online, during the grant’s “funding window”. Some grants have ongoing applications, as in you can apply any time during the year, but most grants have a specific due date, and you must submit your grant application before the due date to be considered for it. , You’ll need to read the information about the grant closely, also known as an RFP (request for proposals), so that you can make sure your goals/project fit in with those of the grant. You don’t have to be a great writer or have a fancy vocabulary to apply for a but you do want to make sure you can tell your own story well (i.e. who you are, what your farm is all about) and be very clear about what you want to accomplish with the grant and how this will benefit the community/environment. You’ll also want to be sure that you’re really capable of carrying out the activities your propose in your grant, and that doing so will benefit your farm business, rather than take time away from key business activities.

Do you have to be a non-profit to get a grant?

No! There are a number of grants that are available to farm businesses directly. For grants that do require a non-profit, you may be able to go through a “fiscal sponsor” which is a non-profit that can essentially host your grant. Grant funds would be paid to the fiscal sponsor and they in turn would pay you. Most non-profits take a small percentage of the grant funds as a processing fee for being the fiscal sponsor.

What grants are available?

There are many grant opportunities available, with more being added all the time. This is a comprehensive database of grants available to farmers created by Community Alliance with Family Farmers. Here are a few that New Mexico farmers’ may be interested in.

• Real Farmer Care: This is a $100 grant that is very easy to apply for that supports farmer self-care. It’s offered by American Farmland Trust who sometimes has other grant opportunities as well.
• Natural Resources Conservation Service: they have several grant programs for implementing regenerative practices and building season extension infrastructure.
• Value Added Producer Grant: This is a grant program that helps farmers or groups of farmers do research/planning or start the process of creating a “value-added” product, like jams or jellies, fermented foods, soap, etc. Grants are available for up to $250,000, but you must provide 100% matching funds, which means that if you want to build a commercial kitchen to make jam out of your berry harvest, and it’s going to cost $40,000, you could ask for a grant for $20,000 and then you’d need to have $20,000 in the bank or the promise of a loan for that amount.
• Fruit Guys Community Fund: This is a small, private grant for up to $5,000 to support small farms with preference given to BIPOC producers and/or non-profit farms led by BIPOC folks. You must have a minimum of 2 years experience farming and have long-term land access to apply. Applications are on a yearly basis, with the application dates announced in January or February.
• Fund-a-Farmer Animal Wellfare Grants: This is a private grant fund that offers up to $3,000 in grant funds for farmers working on improving their animal welfare. Many past grant projects have focused on fencing, watering systems, or mobile animal shelters. Farmers have also completed a variety of unique projects involving constructing cattle scratching stations, planting trees to improve access to shade, and purchasing equipment for fly control. The grant application comes out in November of each year.
• Sky High Farm Grant: This is a small grant for BIPOC farmers and ranchers that can be used for a variety of things to support a farm business. Applications are annual.
• Western SARE Farmer/Rancher Research and Education Grant: This is a grant in which a producer works with an agricultural researcher to develop a project that researches sustainabilitiy practices and helps spread the results of the research to other farmers. For example, if you have an idea about how to make NM farming more water efficient, you would have 1-3 years to conduct scientific research to see if that technique actually is more water efficient, and then you might lead some farm tours to show other farmers how they could use this system. Grants are for up to $35,000 and can be used for labor, supplies, travel, etc.
• NM Farmer Innovation Program: These grants are for urban farms with revenues under $250,000 for various expenses related to conservation or expanding production. Grants can be up to $20,000 and do not require matching funds. The grant program was offered in 2025 with a due date of February 3.
• NM Healthy Food Financing Initiative: This is a grant offered by the NM Economic Development Department to promote healthy food access for underresourced communities (i.e. rural communities with less access to fresh foods, poor communities, specific groups like seniors or school children.) For producers planning to do an agriculture specific project you must be part of the Approved Supplier Program (or be in the process of becoming part of it) to apply. The grant was last offered with a deadline of November 15th, 2025, with applications for funding up to $150,000.
• Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Micro-grant: This is a grant for producers to implement regenerative practices. Funding was $5,000 – $15,000. The last grant had a deadline of November 30th, 2025.