Food Animal Concerns Trust: 2020 Fund-a-Farmer Grants
FACT awards competitive grants up to $2,500 to working, independent family farmers located in the U.S. who raise beef cattle, bison, broiler chickens, dairy cows, goats, laying hens, pigs, sheep and/or turkeys. Before submitting your online application, please read the complete set of eligibility guidelines below. Applications must be submitted online by 11:59pm CT on December 1, 2020 to be considered for this round of funding. Grants will be awarded in February 2021.
TYPES OF PROJECTS
This year we have streamlined the application process. All applications will be submitted online through one main Fund-a-Farmer Grant application, no matter the type of project. As in past years, FACT will fund the following:
Grants for farmers who are pursuing animal welfare certification: These grants support farms that are pursuing one of three animal welfare certifications: Certified Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) and affiliated certifications by A Greener World (AGW), Certified Humane (CH), or Global Animal Partnership (GAP) Animal Welfare Certified (steps 4 to 5+). Proposed projects do not necessarily have to address a particular standard required for certification. These grants will be made for on-farm projects that help improve animal welfare.
Grants for welfare-certified farmers: These grants are for projects that would help farms that already hold one of the certifications above to build capacity or maintain certification. These grants can be for on-farm production-related projects, or for other projects related to the marketing, sales, and distribution of welfare-certified products.
Grants for farmers to improve or expand pasture for their animals: FACT will fund projects that would help farms transition to pasture-based systems, expand animals’ access to well-managed pasture, and improve the quality of pasture for animals. Farmers do not need to hold or be seeking certification.
Farms and projects that fit into more than one category may select multiple types on the application form. Funding for grants made to farmers who are seeking certification or who already hold certification has been underwritten by generous support from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
1. Farms must be located in the United States and be working, independent family farms, or operated by a federally-recognized tribal entity. These are farms on which a family, individual or tribe owns the animals, is engaged in the day to day management of the farm and its animals, derives a share of livelihood from the farm, and produces a livestock product for sale. If you are selected to receive a grant you will be required to furnish a valid Schedule F or Schedule C form or comparable form from your 2018 or 2019 tax return; this document is not required at time of application. If you file a different form to report income/loss from your farm business, or are not required to file taxes for your farm business because you farm on tribal land, please note this in your application.
2. Proposed on-farm projects must impact at least one of these species: beef cattle, bison, broiler chickens, dairy cows, goats, laying hens, pigs, sheep and/or turkeys. Farms must already raise animals (i.e. produce-only farms are not eligible). Projects involving a new species of animals on an existing livestock/poultry operation will be considered.
3. Only one application per farm per year will be accepted.
4. Farms that do not hold one of the three specified certifications may apply for an on-farm, production-related project that would improve animal welfare and expand pasture-based systems. Examples include the purchase and installation or fencing, mobile housing, or water systems for animals on pasture. For applicants who are seeking certification, proposed projects do not necessarily have to address a particular standard required for certification. If the project would help you make progress toward achieving certification, you may include this information in your application.
5. Farms that already hold one of the three animal welfare certifications may apply for funds that can be used for on-farm, production-oriented projects as described above, as well as or other projects related to marketing, sales, and distribution of welfare-certified products. Examples of eligible projects include but are not limited to:
On-farm infrastructure or investments (e.g. on-farm improvements to maintain certification and/or the increase scale and efficiency of the operation, purchase of capital investments such as certified breeding stock and refrigeration units, value added product development);
Supply chain infrastructure or investments (e.g. transporting products to market, coordinating pick-up, aggregation and distribution of food items from multiple sources);
Institutional or wholesale investments (e.g. investments to meet institutional/wholesale parameters or sourcing needs, such as increased production, product packaging, value added processing or administrative prerequisites);
Education or marketing efforts (e.g. educating local distributors to value welfare certifications, creating a cooperative, developing educational materials);
Joint sales efforts to buyers (e.g. outreach on behalf of multiple farms to local institutions, restaurants or markets to secure contracts that pull from multiple farms).
6. All proposed projects must begin and be completed within the time frame of February 2021 through May 2022. Projects that are completed before February 2021 are not eligible for funding.
7. The maximum award per farm is $2,500. Eligible expense categories include: materials, supplies, equipment, shipping/delivery costs, consultant/professional fees, travel, training, and hired labor costs.
8. No funds will be awarded to:
Farms that cannot provide a valid Schedule F, Schedule C or comparable form by February 2021. If you are not required to file taxes for your farm business because you farm on tribal land, please note this in your application.
Non-profit organizations, schools, and farm sanctuaries are not eligible.
The purchase of animals (with the exception of livestock guardian dogs for all applicants, and breeding stock for animal welfare-certified farms), land, or recurring operational expenses such as animal feed.
Projects solely focused on aquaculture, apiaries, alpacas, horses, rabbits, or other types of animals not included in the list of eligible species above.
Projects related to the production of raw milk.
Projects related to the slaughter of animals.
Certification fees associated with animal welfare or other types of certification.
9. If awarded a grant, farmers must agree to a possible scheduled farm visit(s) by FACT and/or ASPCA staff, as well as flash photography and videos during the visit, and the use of the farm name/photos/video in FACT and/or ASPCA publications and websites.
HOW WILL GRANT DECISIONS BE MADE?
FACT relies on a panel of expert humane livestock farmers to review eligible applications. All personal and contact information is redacted from the application to ensure that the final review process is anonymous. Eligible applications will be scored on the following factors:
How well would the proposed project help the farm reach the intended goal(s)? (25 pts)
Would the project have a positive impact on animal welfare and/or the livelihood of welfare-certified farmers? (25 pts)
If there is sufficient expertise to complete the project (10 pts)
If the timeline and proposed steps are achievable (10 pts)
If the budget is reasonable and related to the project (20 pts)
Does the applicant identify as Black, Indigenous or a Person of Color? (10 pts)
In general, while the number of animals that will benefit from a proposed project is not a stand-alone factor, it may be taken into consideration when scoring comparable projects. If you have additional questions regarding the grant requirements or application, please contact us at grants@foodanimalconcerns.org.