Farming Resource
2023 Frontera Farmer Applications
Topics:
Beginning Farmers, Farm Business, Farming Systems
The Frontera Farmer Foundation is committed to promoting small, sustainable Midwestern farms serving the Chicago area by providing them with capital development grants. Small local farms, which often struggle financially, are more likely to promote biodiversity by planting a wide range of produce and operating using organic practices. By their artisanal approach to agriculture, the freshness of their product, and the variety of their offerings, these farmers ensure the highest quality food while they add immeasurably to the fabric of their local rural community.
Frontera Farmer Foundation will award grants for capital improvements of up to $12,000 to small and mid-size farmers in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin that sell their food products to customers in the Chicago area at farmer’s markets and otherwise. We define “small and midsize” to mean family farms with up to $600,000 in annual gross revenue.
Farmers must have been in business for at least three years and must demonstrate how the grant will improve both their farm’s viability and the availability of locally grown food products in the Chicago area. Farms that have been awarded grants will be eligible every other year.
Nonprofit farms & farms with nonprofit parent organizations are not eligible for grants.