We created the Good Food Funding Guide listing sources of grants, loans, and equity for businesses and programs promoting sustainable food and agriculture and local economies. It is arranged alphabetically into four sections: Government Grants, Private Grants, Loans, and Equity. Refer to our article “Good Food Funding Guide” for information about choosing sources of capital for your project. Please note, as of 2025, the federal funding process for releasing RFAs has changed, as has the rhythm of when RFAs open and the turnaround time. We recommend following the specific programs for updates. If you have suggestions for adding to or editing this list, please let us know by completing this form. Thank you!
| Government Grants | Primary Focus | Description | Funding Range |
Application Timing / Notes |
| Community Facility Grants | Economic Development | Provides grants to assist in developing essential community facilities in rural areas and towns of up to 20,000 in population. Also offers loans guarantee programs and can combine grants and loans | May cover up to 75% of eligible project costs | Rolling |
| Community Food Projects (CFPCGP) | Food Access | Funds projects designed to increase food security in communities by bringing the whole food system together to assess strengths, establish linkages, and create systems that improve the self-reliance of community members over their food needs. | $25,000- $400,000 | Tentative Due Date for 2027: June; Funding requires a 100% match |
| Economic Development Administration | Economic Development | The Economic Development Administration (EDA) offers programs to support the construction or upgrade of public facilities, planning, technical assistance for economic development, and more. | NA | Rolling |
| Farm to School Grant Program | Local Food | To improve access to local foods in eligible CNP sites through comprehensive farm to CNP programming that includes local sourcing and agricultural education. | $50,000-$500,000 | Tentative Due Date for 2027: December |
| Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) | Local Food | Funds programs that increase domestic consumption of, and access to, locally and regionally produced agricultural products, and to develop new market opportunities for farm and ranch operations serving local markets. | $50,000- $500,000 | Tentative Due Date for 2027: May (Monitor for opportunity) 25% match required |
| Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP) | Agriculture | Funds projects with one-to-one dollar match to assist in exploring new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products and to encourage research and innovation aimed at improving the efficiency and performance of the marketing system | $50,000-$250,000 | Monitor for funding opening; Funding requires a 1 for 1 match |
| Food and Agriculture Service Learning | Local Food, Education | The program aims to increase food, garden, and nutrition education capacity within host organizations or entities, such as school cafeterias and classrooms, while fostering higher levels of community engagement between farms and school systems by bringing together stakeholders from distinct parts of the food system. | $225,000 | Tentative Due Date for 2027: July |
| Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) | Food Nutrition/ Food as Medicine | Support and evaluate projects intended to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by providing incentives at the point of purchase among income-eligible consumers participating in the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) | $1,000- $15,000,000 | Tentative Due Date for 2027: May |
| Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) FARE Fund | Food Access | This program offers technical assistance, grants, and loans for the predevelopment, planning, and implementation of eligible food retail and food retail supply chain projects in underserved areas. | Grants: Up to $250,000 Loans: Up to $3,000,000 | Loan application open until Sept 2028. Monitor for grant openings in 2027. |
| HHS Community Economic Development | Economic Development | Planning or Job Creation projects awarded to Community Development Corporations that create and expand businesses, resulting in the creation of jobs for individuals with low incomes; allows for construction costs | Planning: $150,000 Implementation: $800,000 | Tentative Due Date for 2027: July |
| Local Food Promotion Program (Implementation Grants) | Local Food | Implementation Grants are used to establish a new local and regional food business enterprise, or to improve or expand an existing local or regional food business enterprise | $100,000- $500,000 | Tentative Due Date for 2027: May (Monitor for opportunity) 25% match required |
| Local Food Promotion Program (Planning Grants) | Local Food | Funds the development and expansion of local and regional food business enterprises to increase domestic consumption of, and access to, locally and regionally produced agricultural products. Activities can include market research, feasibility studies, and business planning. | $25,000- $100,000 | Tentative Due Date for 2027: May (Monitor for opportunity) 25% match required |
| Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program | Meat Processing | Intended to help eligible processors expand their capacity. USDA Rural Development designed the MPPEP to encourage competition and sustainable growth in the U.S. meat processing sector. | Varies by opportunity | Monitor for opportunities |
| Regional Food System Partnerships | Agriculture, Collaboration | Supports partnerships that connect public and private resources to plan and develop local or regional food systems. | $100,000-$1,000,000 | Tentative Due Date for 2027: May 25% match required |
| Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI) | Local Food | State led USDA program that supports producers and farm businesses in obtaining equipment or developing their middle of the supply chain infrastructure. | Varies by state | State-administered subawards; original federal funding has been allocated. Check state status for remaining/open rounds. |
| Rural Business Development Grant (RBEG) | Economic Development | Funds programs designed to support targeted technical assistance, training and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas. | $10,000- $500,000 | Tentative Due Date for 2027: June |
| Rural Cooperative Development Grant | Economic Development | Seeks to aid the economic development of rural communities by establishing cooperative development centers. Only public bodies, tribes, and nonprofits apply-not individual for-profit businesses. | $200,000 | Monitor for funding opening; 25% match required |
| Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) | Agriculture | Funds qualified small businesses to support high-quality research related to important scientific problems and opportunities in agriculture that could lead to significant public benefits. | $100,000-$600,000 | Monitor for funding opening |
| Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) | Agriculture | Funds projects that solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Specialty crops are fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture). | Varies by state | Apply through state Department of Agriculture |
| Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) | Agriculture | Funds programs that advance sustainable innovations in agriculture. SARE is uniquely grassroots, administered by four regional offices guided by administrative councils of local experts. Funding covers the following types of projects 1) Research & Education, 2) Professional Development, and 3) Producer Grants. | Up to $200,000 | Monitor for opportunities by region: North Central, Southern, Western and Northeast |
| Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grant | Urban Agriculture | Expand efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools, and other stakeholders in urban areas and suburbs. Projects may target areas of food access; education; business and start-up costs for new farmers; and development of policies related to zoning and other needs of urban production. | $50,000- $300,000 | Monitor for funding opening. |
| Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) | Economic Development | This program’s end goals are generating new products, creating and expanding marketing opportunities, and increasing producer income. | Planning Grant: $50,000 Working Capital: $250,000 | Tentative Due Date for 2025: April; 50% match required |
| Nonprofit & Foundation Grants | Primary Focus | Description | Funding Range | Application Timing / Notes |
| American Heart Association: Health Care by Food | Food as Medicine | Research grants to strengthen the FIM evidence base. Has funded small clinical trials and planning grants for larger ones. | Varies | Monitor for opportunities. |
| Ardmore Institute of Health (AIH) | Food as Medicine | Funds mission-aligned organizations advancing Lifestyle Medicine and Whole Health as core parts of U.S. healthcare, including Food is Medicine-adjacent work like produce prescriptions, culinary medicine, and Full Plate Living nutrition programming. | Varies | Monitor for opportunities. |
| Better Food Policy Fund | Food Policy Councils | Invests in US-based food policy councils, empowering community and government collaboration for progressive food policies | $60,000 | Monitor for opportunities. |
| Chef Ann | School | Dedicated to promoting whole-ingredient, scratch-cooking in schools. Programs provide school districts with salad bars, assessments, professional development, and free tools and resources. | Program specific grants and in-kind assistance | Check website for programs and deadlines |
| Clarence E Heller Foundation | Health | Promotes the long-term good health and viability of communities and regions. Focus areas include protecting the environment, regional planning, and sustainability in agriculture and food systems. | NA | Rolling |
| Cliff Family Foundation | Food Systems | Funding priorities: Strengthen our food system; Enhance equitable community health outcomes; Safeguard our environment and natural resources. | $5,000- $50,000 | March 1 and August 1 |
| Elevance Health Foundation | Food as Medicine | Prioritizes funding for programs that improve clinical health outcomes for individuals with diet-related conditions and increase access to nutritious foods for populations experiencing food/nutrition insecurity. | Open (grants range around $100,000) | Monitor for opportunities in 2027 |
| Growing Justice | Equity/ Food Access | Supports community-led initiatives that advance equitable food purchasing | $50,000- $250,000 | Monitor for current opportunities |
| Organic Valley | Organic Farming | Grants are awarded to research, education and advocacy projects that advance Farmers Advocating for Organic’s mission: to protect and promote the organic industry and the livelihood of organic farmers. | $5,000- $50,000 | Two deadlines a year (August and December) |
| Wholesome Wave Foundation | Food Access | Wholesome Wave empowers underserved consumers to make better food choices by increasing affordable access to healthy produce. | NA | Rolling. Apply to become a network member for matching funds. |
| Harris & Francis Block Foundation (Vermont, North Carolina, Virginia, and New York) | Food & Farm Initiatives | Priorities: Farm and Garden Programs; Farmworker’s Rights; Food Justice
|
$35,000 | Rolling |
| Henry P. Kendall Foundation New England Food Vision Prize (New England) |
Health, Local Food Access | Aims to increase the amount of local and regional food prepared and served on New England college and university campuses and within K-12 public school districts, helping to strengthen the region’s food system. | $65,000-$100,000 | Monitor for 2027 opportunities |
| W.K. Kellogg Foundation (Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, New Orleans, Indigenous Populations) | Health, Access | Support families and communities in creating conditions where all children can thrive and generate social and financial returns. Specifically, projects that increase access to healthy food in under-resourced communities and grow an equitable, healthy food economy by providing support to local food businesses across the value food chain | NA | Rolling |
| Food is Medicine Impact Fund (Rockefeller Foundation and Builders Vision) | Food as Medicine | A $10M fund to speed FIM adoption. It first funds a State Officer Program, plus technical assistance and a peer learning network. Later investments will cover awareness, infrastructure, technical support and research. | $10M total fund. Per-state award amounts not stated | Monitor for future opportunities |
| Loans | Primary Focus | Description | Notes | |
| 7(a) Loan Program, SBA | Varies | The program provides new and growing businesses with loans of up to $5 million with an SBA guaranty of 75% to 85%. Loans may be used to purchase equipment, inventory, fixtures, leasehold improvements, working capital, debt refinancing for compelling reasons, change of ownership. | Loans up to $5,000,000 | |
| Certified Development Company (504) Loan Program, SBA | Varies | The program provides growing businesses with long-term, fixed-rate financing for major fixed assets, such as land and buildings. 504 Loans are typically structured with SBA providing 40% of the total project costs, a participating lender covering up to 50% of the total project costs, and the borrower contribution 10% of the project costs. | ||
| Community Development Finance Institute | Economic Development | 1) Allocate New Market Tax Credits to financial institutes used to incentivize community development and economic growth through the use of tax credits that attract private investment to distressed communities; 2) Healthy Food Financing Initiative – Financial Assistance for projects that expand access to healthy food; 3) Native Initiatives that creates jobs, builds businesses, and fosters economic self-determination in Native Communities | Visit website to find CDFI’s supporting projects in your community. | |
| Community Facilities Direct and Guaranteed Loans | Economic Development | Provides loans and loan guarantees to assist in the development of essential community facilities in rural areas and towns of up to 20,000 in population. | Open year round | |
| Equity Trust Fund | Local Food | The Equity Trust Fund is a revolving loan fund that makes low-interest loans to community supported agriculture (CSA) farmers, cooperatives, community land trusts, conservation land trusts, and other nonprofit organizations that protect community access to land or affordable housing, or support community-controlled, sustainable economic development for low income communities. | Loans from $5,000- $150,000 | |
| Farm Storage Facility Loan Program | Agriculture | The Farm Storage Facility Loan Program (FSFL) provides low-interest financing so producers can build or upgrade facilities to store commodities. | Loans up to $500,000 | |
| Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) | Economic Development | Healthy Food Initiatives: Available for nonprofit and for-profit operators of healthy food businesses including retail food stores, farmers markets, food coops and other healthy food production or distribution activities. Nonprofit and for-profit development organizations providing space for healthy food operations can also apply. | Priority to projects in LISC sites | |
| Reinvestment Fund | Local Food | Healthy Food Financing Initiative: Public-Private partnership with USDA Rural Development offers to finance healthy food retail projects. | ||
| RSF Social Investment Fund | Economic Development | RSF provides loans to social enterprises that have impact across the food and agriculture supply chain and enable local economies to flourish. | Loans up to $400,000 | |
| Slow Money | Local Food | The Slow Money Institute catalyzes the formation of self-organizing local groups, which use a diversity of approaches: public meetings, on-farm events, pitch fests, peer-to-peer loans, investment clubs and, most recently, nonprofit clubs making 0% loans. | 0% interest loans administered on a regional basis. | |
| Whole Foods Local Producer Loan Program | Local Food | Providing up to $10 million in low-interest loans to independent local farmers and food artisans. | Loans up to $100,000 | |
| Equity | Primary Focus | Description | Notes | |
| 2X Partners | Varies | Invests in emerging consumer products businesses capable of growing exponentially via an infusion of capital and operational expertise. | ||
| Advantage Capital | Varies | Offers financing and investment options to established and emerging companies located in communities underserved by conventional sources of capital. Specializes in small business. | ||
| Armonia LLC | Agriculture | Investment firm providing long-term investments in companies and projects that promote regenerative practices in agriculture, finance, and business. | ||
| Closed Loop Capital | Agriculture, Local Food | Early stage venture capital fund platform investing in agriculture technologies and food system innovations. | ||
| Cultivian Sandbox Food & Agriculture Fund | Agriculture | Cultivian Sandbox is a venture capital firm focused on building next-generation food and agriculture technology companies capable of generating superior returns. | ||
| Fair Food Fund |
Local Food | Early stage investment for entrepreneurs who are growing community health and wealth through food. Also provides wrap-around business assistance alongside investment. | Early stage investment | |
| Golden Seeds | Varies | Angel network that invests in high-potential, women-led businesses that create lasting impact. | Average first round investment: $125,000-$350,000 | |
| Good Food Accelerator | Local Food | Accelerator for food entrepreneurs to expand the production, marketing and distribution of locally and responsibly produced food, in order to enhance the social, economic and environmental health of our communities. | Fellowship Program | |
| Greenmont Capital Partners | Varies | Greenmont makes impact investments in high growth consumer products that align with the Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability market. | ||
| Mission Point Partners | Varies | Impact investment management firm focused on solving large-scale environmental problems through the deployment of high impact capital. | ||
| New Ground Ventures | Varies | High impact venture capital investing in pioneering entrepreneurs and impactful businesses. | ||
| S2G Ventures | Agriculture, Local Food | Seed to Growth: Multi-stage food and agriculture venture fund investing in entrepreneurs whose products and services meet the shifting demands for healthy and sustainable food. | ||
| SJF Ventures | Varies | Provides venture financing for high-growth companies creating a healthier, smarter, and cleaner future across multiple impact sectors. | ||
| Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) | Economic Development | Works with private investment funds licensed as SBICs to provide growth capital to U.S. small businesses. Although regulated by SBA, they are private, profit-seeking investment companies that make independent investment decisions. | Visit the SBIC directory to find participating investment funds | |
| Social Venture Circle | Varies | Early stage impact investing network dedicated to improving the environment, education, health, and community. |
Updated September 2026
