Good Farm Fund: Farm grant program is open for applications, due Friday

The Good Farm Fund is now accepting grant applications from farms in Mendocino and Lake counties for this year's farm grant cycle. The farm grants are made possible by individual donors, small business sponsors, last year's farm-totable dinner fundraising series at Mendocino Grove, and grant funding from Redwood Credit Union.

These micro grants can be used for any number of on-farm projects. Past grant recipients have expanded irrigation systems, built cold storage facilities, increased the size of their chicken flock, purchased new tools and implements; the list goes on.

“Agriculture is such an integral part of our region, and the farmers and farm workers in Lake and Mendocino counties cultivate not only sustenance for our families to live on, but also a sense of happy and healthy communities,” says Matt Martin, Senior Vice President of Community and Government Relations at Redwood Credit Union. “This is why Redwood Credit Union is proud to support the Farm Grant Program sponsored by the Good Farm Fund.”

The Good Farm Fund is a volunteer-driven community organization dedicated to providing direct support to small farmers in Mendocino and Lake counties, as well as increasing local food access for underserved members of our community. Since 2015, the project has granted over $350,000 to small farms and ranches for critical infrastructure projects, and an additional $100,000 in grants for fire resilience and recovery. The Good Farm Fund also supports the Market Match Program at Mendocino and Lake County farmers markets. The Good Farm Fund is a fiscally sponsored program of North Coast Opportunities, the Community Action Agency serving Lake & Mendocino counties.

Interested applicants can review the application guidelines and apply at www.goodfarmfund.org.

Applications are due by March 15, 2024. Grant awards will be announced April 15.