The FruitGuys Community Fund Announces 2022 Grant Cycle

Small Farms are critical partners of the environment with a special role in its stewardship and as agents of climate stabilization. The FruitGuys Community Fund provides grants of up to $5,000 each to support small farms and agricultural nonprofits for sustainability projects. We believe that small grants can have big impacts on farms as they strive for greater economic and environmental sustainability. 

We are excited to announce we will be accepting applications for a 2022 Grant Cycle.

The application portal will open January 3, 2022 at 12:00 am PST. The deadline to apply is Friday, January 31 at 11:59 pm PST.

Please spread the word to small farms and agricultural non-profits who may be interested.

Grant Eligibility
We support as many projects as possible, but with limited funding, we sadly cannot support all the worthy projects proposed. For 2022, we hope to fund up to 15 projects. A majority of funds will be directed to those most vulnerable during this time, including farmers of color, women farmers, and farmers who are veterans. After evaluating the 2022 Letters Of Intent, 25 semi finalists will be invited to submit a more detailed proposal. Applicants who do not receive funding are welcome to apply again another year for the same project or a different one. Past grantees are not eligible to apply. 

Help us provide as many grants as possible for 2022 sustainability projects by donating to our Help Farms, Help Our Planet campaign! 

Application Tips
As you compose your initial Letter Of Intent, please be prepared to share detailed information about your farm or nonprofit, as well as a short description of your proposed project, including a budget outline of how you’ll spend your grant money.

Proposed projects should be aligned with The FruitGuys Community Fund Farming Manifesto. We’re committed to ecologically-sustainable farm management practices that preserve and enhance farmland, as well as supporting the surrounding landscape and communities, while respecting farmers’ autonomy and economic needs.

For more details, please read The FruitGuys Community Fund’s detailed eligibility requirements.

Timeline
The deadline to submit an initial Letter Of Intent is Monday, January 31, 2022 11:59 p.m. PST. All applicants will be notified whether their proposal has been accepted or declined by Monday, February 21, 2022. Semifinalists will then be asked to provide a full application by Monday, February 28, 2022 11:59 p.m PST. The full application asks for more project details including timelines, outcomes, and impacts. The 2022 grantees will be notified by Friday, April 8th, 2022. Grant awards will be disbursed starting Friday May 6, 2022. Grantees are expected to provide updates on their projects in August and December 2022. 

About
The FruitGuys Community Fund was established in 2012 as a fiscally-sponsored project of Community Initiatives. It evolved from The FruitGuys Farm Steward program, where the company provided micro-grants to small farms in need. We are one of the few national programs that provide small grants (up to $5,000) to farms.