This collection of funding opportunities may suit those in Kansas’ food and farm system. We work to update this collection monthly as we build our Rural Roundup Newsletter, which showcases opportunities with upcoming deadlines.
USDA Meat & Poultry Processing - Deadline August 7
The Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) provides grants to help eligible meat and poultry processors expand their capacity.
USDA Rural Development designed this program to encourage competition and sustainable growth in the U.S. meat processing sector, and to help improve supply chain resiliency. There are two different project options the Processing Expansion Project and the Simplified Equipment-Only Project.
Expanding Agroforestry Project - Deadline August 11
Led by The Nature Conservancy in collaboration with a diverse network of partners (see below), this project aims to accelerate private investment in agroforestry while helping farmers improve profitability. At the same time, it delivers measurable environmental benefits while creating a scalable model for adoption across millions of acres nationwide.
Patterson Fellow Program - Deadline August 23
The Patterson Fellows program is a cohort-based model that will support high-caliber, high-impact entrepreneurs for a three-year period, with the goal of igniting viable, scalable companies for change in rural communities. Any entrepreneur focused on solving rural challenges to enrich and stabilize rural populations is eligible to submit an application for the Patterson Fellows program. The Patterson Family Foundation will consider all applications focused on building a business whose initiatives support rural prosperity in its catchment area.
Kubota Built By You - Deadline August 24
From hard work to proud results, every Kubota story is Built By You. If you're tackling projects, creating something lasting, or making the most of life outdoors, show us how it’s done. Submit a short video of your Kubota experience—how you work, build, and get things done—for a chance to stand out and be recognized nationwide.
Cultivating Connected Communities - Deadline August 26
In Phase 1, ACL is seeking practical proposals to enhance existing community gardens and expand participation among these populations. This will include up to 50 winners and up to $4,000 per award.
Harvest to Market Grant - Deadline: August 31
Stay tuned for the Harvest to Market Grant — coming soon for local food and farm enterprises in rural Kansas and western Missouri. Grants up to $25,000. Expected to open in June 2026 and close in August 2026.
Ending Wasted Food - Grant Application - Due Sept. 1
Both the national media campaign and community grants will focus on changing specific habits and behaviors to prevent wasted food in households. Grantees will design and deliver hands-on programs that build on the impact of the national media campaign to deliver behavior change locally. Grantees will address local barriers through structured interventions tailored to the communities they serve. Community grant activities must have enough depth and reach to make a meaningful impact, with clear measurement and reporting of results.
For Farmers Grant - Deadline: October 12
Basic Grants
The For Farmers Movement awards 100+ grants a year that range from $500 to $1000, with up to $3000 for collaborative grants. Grants support projects like infrastructure, equipment, innovation, loss recovery and more. We have supported plenty of fencing, irrigation, cold storage, soil improvements, wash stations, repairs and more.
Transformational Grants
Larger grants ranging from $5000 to $10,000 support projects with meaningful impact on farm operations and the surrounding community.
Transformational grants are offered by invitation only to those who submit a concept through the basic grants program
The Food System 6 EQIP Bridge Loan Program
Food System 6 (FS6)’s Bridge Loan Program helps producers overcome one of the biggest barriers to implementing EQIP projects: the upfront costs. Because EQIP reimburses producers after eligible work is completed, many farmers and ranchers must finance those costs themselves before receiving payment from NRCS.
FS6’s bridge loan fund provides 0% bridge loans to help producers begin implementing their contracts immediately rather than delaying projects or taking on expensive debt. There are no fees, no interest, and no penalties. Loans are repaid when producers receive their NRCS reimbursement.
Funding is now available for producers with active EQIP contracts in all 50 states. Farmers, ranchers, and landowners can find more information about the program and apply here, or get in touch with us at eqip@foodsystem6.org.
Kansas Department of Ag - Conservation Financial Assistance
The Division of Conservation (DOC), Kansas Department of Agriculture administers four voluntary cost-share programs, the Water Resources Cost-Share Program, the Non-Point Source Pollution Control Program, Riparian and Wetland Protection Program and the Sediment & Nutrient Reduction Initiative. These programs provide financial assistance to eligible landowners for conservation practices that reduce soil erosion, improve water quality and/or conserve water.
Thanks to the financial support of the KSI Foundation, the Enthuse Foundation is proud to award $5,000 to a woman CPG entrepreneur who has an environmental component to their business.
Criteria:Climate & Environmental Solution, Proposed Impact on the Business, Use of Funds & Execution Plan, Demonstration of Financial or Resource Need, Brand Viability
Kansas Innovation Fund
Are you a visionary, a problem solver, or someone who is passionate about creating positive change in your community? Is your organization open to exploring new strategies and taking bold steps toward innovation? Have you come across ideas or projects from community members, youth or nonprofit staff that you are eager to implement but lack the necessary resources? If you answered yes to any of these questions, we invite you to consider applying for the Kansas Innovation Fund.
KHF will provide up to $5,000 for each approved idea/project. Our goal is to provide a funding opportunity for nonprofits looking to explore new strategies to solve complex issues.
Patterson Family Grant Opportunities
Projects that have secured at least 25% of the total project budget and include clear evaluation and sustainability plans will receive priority consideration. If you are unsure whether your program or organization qualifies for our grants, please review the applicant handbook or reach out through their Contact Us page.
Since 1982, the Youth Garden Grant has supported school and youth educational garden projects that enhance the quality of life for students and their communities
Beginning Grower Support Program
We all start at the beginning. All experienced growers have experienced the commitment and effort it takes to get started and building toward a vision, perhaps a dream, in cultivating vegetables, fruit, herbs, ornamentals, etc. into a business enterprise. To give beginning growers some much-needed support, Kansas Specialty Crop Growers Association—in collaboration with K-State Extension and Growing Growers—has stipend support for beginning growers to participate in training/networking opportunities of interest to you. If you are a new grower, you are eligible for up to $250 to cover registration, travel, and other costs associated with your participation in training/networking activities that can help you build toward your vision.
Regenerative Farmer Assurance Fund (RFAF)
How
Farmers facing reimbursement delays can apply for an emergency grant to cover expenses.
If reimbursement arrives, the farmer repays the grant, allowing HSF to redeploy funds.
If no reimbursement materializes, the grant becomes non-recoupable, ensuring farmers aren’t left financially vulnerable.
Who
Organic and regenerative farmers in Midwest states experiencing public funding delays.
Farmers who have executed contracts for programs like EQIP, CSP, and RFSI but have not received expected reimbursements.
Farmers with immediate financial needs due to these delays.
Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program in Kansas
This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.
Emergent Fund is a rolling, monthly rapid response and emergent organizing grant for movement and frontline communities responding to urgent and specific unanticipated crises or opportunities to build power.
Karma 4 CAra Microgrant Program
The K4C Microgrant Program is the bridge between ideas and action. By providing microgrants in varying amounts up to $1,000, K4C helps young citizen leaders execute and magnify their initiatives to help repair our world. Students 18 years of age and under may apply for funds between $250 and $1,000 to complete service projects in their communities throughout the United States.
The Partnership Grant program is intended to foster cooperation between agriculture professionals and small groups of farmers and ranchers to catalyze on-farm research, demonstration, and education activities related to sustainable agriculture.
Examples of appropriate projects include: developing a curriculum about food storage for farmers and processors, on-farm testing of cropping system strategies or grazing systems, cooperative efforts to develop new marketing approaches, or investigations into new approaches to processing and/or adding value to sustainably produced farm products.
Each month, we award a $10,000 Amber Grant to one outstanding woman-owned business. All business categories, including non-profits, are eligible. Our judges review each application before deciding on one monthly winner.
Each monthly winner also qualifies for the year-end $25,000 Amber Grant.
Deadline: Bi-Monthly or Twice a Year
The program, KC Grow, provides funding to growers in Kansas City, MO for:
Municipal water line tap and hydrant installation
Rainwater and storm water catchment systems
Supply lines from existing water supplies
Farm design/ development to maximize rain water catchment and soil management practices that improve the water holding capacity of the soil.
KACD and local Conservation Districts promotes a variety of incentive programs for soil health improvement activities. One of our partnerships is with Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) through the Climate Smart Commodities Initiatives. ADM partners with farmers to adopt regenerative agriculture practices, incentivizing a more sustainable future. ADM’s program provided financial rewards for regenerative practices as well as outcomes such as improved soil quality, giving producers the opportunity to sell crops with sustainable attributes at a premium.
Cliff Family Foundation Funds for Operational Support
Deadline: Bi-Monthly or Twice a Year
These grants support daily operating costs and specific projects.
About the GEICO Philanthropic Foundation
The GEICO Philanthropic Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that provide programs and resources to help strengthen diverse communities across the United States. Funding is focused on three areas: education, including nonprofits focused on education resources and opportunities supporting diverse communities across the country, as well as groups that focus on STEM, early childhood learning, and safety; engaging the community, including financial literacy, food insecurity, environmental conservation, animal welfare and advocacy, and health and wellness initiatives; and promoting equity, including building meaningful relationships with community organizations that support equity, justice, diversity, and inclusion.
Deadline: Bi-Monthly or Twice a Year
The program, KC Grow, provides funding to growers in Kansas City, MO for:
Municipal water line tap and hydrant installation
Rainwater and storm water catchment systems
Supply lines from existing water supplies
Farm design/ development to maximize rain water catchment and soil management practices that improve the water holding capacity of the soil.
Community Change Grants Program
PA’s new Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants program (Community Change Grants) has announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity for approximately $2 billion dollars in Inflation Reduction Act funds in environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. These place-based investments will be focused on community-driven initiatives to be responsive to community and stakeholder input. They are designed to deliver on the transformative potential of the IRA for communities most adversely and disproportionately impacted by climate change, legacy pollution, and historical disinvestments.
T-mobile is investing $25M in 500 rural towns over 5 years to jumpstart projects and build stronger communities. Together, we can help upgrade tech at your local library, build new hiking trails, revitalize historic buildings, and so much more.
Small Meat Processing Assistance
The Flower Hill Institute is offering their services to help coordinate technical assistance for meat and poultry processing expansion. Once you have filled out form, you will be added to the database to receive all information on any new grant or loan opportunities. Someone will also connect with you to provide resources and guide you through your stage of the process.
The program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing.
The Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP) provides loans to rural utilities and other companies who provide energy efficiency loans to qualified consumers to implement durable cost-effective energy efficiency measures.
Single Family Housing Rural Disaster Home Repair Grants
This grant provides grants to very-low and low-income homeowners to repair homes damaged in a Calendar Year (CY) 2022 Presidentially Declared Disaster Area. To determine your eligibility, review the list of Presidentially Declared Disasters by State and County. This list is subject to change.