The Core Grants Program supports community-based, grassroots, and frontline organizations, as well as their networks and coalitions, with 501(c)(3) status (or a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)(3) status). What exactly do we mean by community-based? We mean an authentic connection to the community and constituents served by your mission, and a demonstrated commitment to constituent leadership and engagement in your organization’s governance and practice. For further details regarding criteria and restrictions, please visit the Core Grants page.

• Letter of Interest (LOI) Launch: January 11, 2022
• LOI Deadline: February 18, 2022
• Invitations for Full Proposals: sent by March 30, 2022
• Final Decisions and Grantees Notified: by June 2022

An applicant organization may submit only one Letter of Interest (LOI) per grant cycle. If an applicant organization submits more than one LOI, we will review the first one received. An exception is when an organization is serving as lead for a collaborative project engaging more than one eligible organization. In that case, the organization is allowed to submit an LOI on their own behalf and an LOI on behalf of the collaborative project. A fiscal sponsor may submit more than one LOI, so long as they are for different sponsored organizations; they also may submit one LOI on their own behalf.

Our Core Grants range is $20,000 to $30,000 over a one-year term, with $25,000 being the typical funding amount. The Fund is able to make a very limited number of two-year commitments for projects requiring a longer timeframe of support. Two-year requests are capped at a total of $50,000 over two years. The Fund is unable to support ongoing communications activities.

The Core Grants program supports a range of projects and activities, including (in no particular order of priority): integrated communications planning; communications-based professional development; establishing or upgrading communications tools; development of content or creative media initiatives; short-term communications staffing support or outside consulting; narrative development, message framing, and integration; campaigns, events, or experiences that use communications to foster engagement around food and farm issues; multicultural, racial equity, and justice-based approaches to communications; communications projects that build connections and collective power. Please refer to our Core Grants page for full details, as well as our Grantees page for examples of previously funded work.

The Fund defines BIPOC-led as organizations led by and serving people of color, where the executive director(s) or equivalent is a person of color; and at least 66% of staff and 51% of leadership bodies (steering committee, board, etc.) are people of color. The Fund's definition of BIPOC-led is informed by the Emergent Fund.

The Fund is currently unable to support ongoing communications activities. Organizations who have received a Core Grant within the last two years (2020 and 2021) are ineligible to apply for the 2022 round.

Absolutely. However, keep in mind that the Core Grants program is highly competitive. Carefully review the updated priorities and criteria of the Core Grants program to ensure you are a strong fit before you apply.

Yes, and we recommend doing so. A pdf of the 2022 application questions is available here.

Capacity Mini-Grants are prioritized for limited-resource community-based organizations (operating budgets under $1 million) with 501(c)(3) status or with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, that are led by and serving constituents that have been historically — and are currently — marginalized by powerful and privileged actors in food and farm systems, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color; farmers; farmworkers; fisherpeople; and food workers.

An organization may apply for only one Capacity Mini-Grant per funding cycle, and is eligible to receive one Capacity Mini-Grant per year. If an organization submits more than one application, only the first received will be reviewed.

Capacity Mini-Grant recipients will be required to submit a brief report upon completion of their approved activities, and no more than 9-months after receipt of grant funds.