RAFI’s grantmaking programs aim to support farmers across the Southeast U.S. and Caribbean islands in their efforts to access land and infrastructure, transition to sustainable practices, and recover from disasters and farm crises. Since the 1990s, our grantmaking has evolved to reflect shifts in the agricultural landscape and our growing focus on sustainability, equity, and resilience in farming communities.
2026 Farmer Grants
At RAFI, we are committed to supporting farmers in building resilient and sustainable farms.
Applications closed. La solicitud está cerrada.
Southeast US Infrastructure Grants are for farmers with three or more years of experience owning and operating their farm. Funds will be used to improve the current infrastructure or create new infrastructure needed to support the farm’s viability.
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Las Subvenciones de Infraestructura del Sureste de Estados Unidos están dirigidas a agricultores con tres o más años de experiencia en la operación de su finca. Los fondos se pueden utilizar para mejorar la infraestructura actual o crear nueva infraestructura necesaria para la viabilidad de la finca.
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Caribbean Infrastructure Grants are for farmers in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico who have owned and operated their farm for three or more years. Funds will be used for projects that will increase farm viability, support community food sovereignty efforts, preserve traditional and cultural farming practices, and assist local food economies.
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Las Subvenciones de Infraestructura del Caribe están dirigidas a los agricultores de las Islas Vírgenes Estadounidense y Puerto Rico con tres o más años de experiencia en tu finca actual. Los fondos se pueden usar para proyectos que aumentan la viabilidad de las fincas, también apoya las iniciativas comunitarias de soberanía alimentaria.
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Beginning Farmer Stipends (Southeast U.S.) support farmers with up to three years of experience owning and operating their farm. Funds can be used to cover improvements to the farm’s current operation/enterprises.
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Los Estipendios para Agricultores Principiantes están destinados a apoyar a agricultores con hasta tres años de experiencia en la operación de su finca. Los fondos se pueden utilizar para cubrir mejoras en las operaciones actuales de la finca.
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Here’s an overview of some of RAFI’s current grantmaking efforts:
Farm Infrastructure
RAFI’s infrastructure grant program supports a wide range of projects that increase farm viability, establish new markets, support local food economies, and preserve traditional and cultural agrarian practices. Since 2020, RAFI has offered Infrastructure Grants to farmers and ranchers located in the U.S. Southeast. In 2023, Caribbean Infrastructure Grants became available for farmers in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Supporting Beginning Farmers
Recognizing the high barriers to entry for new and beginning farmers, RAFI’s Beginning Farmer Stipend provides critical support to cover start-up and/or production costs for farming. Launched in 2023, these grants aim to help new farmers establish viable operations and contribute to the sustainability of rural communities.
Climate Justice and Sustainability
The Climate and Equity Policy Project uplifts the voices of farmers by providing support to BIPOC-led and -serving groups to engage in climate-related policy advocacy for the Farm Bill.
Disaster Relief and Resilience
Since the 1990s, RAFI has partnered with different organizations to distribute emergency grants for disaster relief and help keep farmers afloat in tough times. These ad hoc disaster response grants help farmers recover from the immediate impacts of extreme events like hurricanes and droughts. For example, we partnered with Farm Aid to distribute $25,000 in emergency household grants to farmers in the Southeast in the aftermath of Hurricanes Florence and Michael in 2018. In 2020, RAFI awarded 175 grants to support small farmers struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Come to the Table Program issued Emergency Hunger Relief mini-grants for churches to purchase food from local farmers, restaurants, and grocery stores to distribute to community members in need. Emergency grants are dependent on funding and available in response to specific disaster events.
Historical Grantmaking: Reinvesting in Rural Communities
Some of RAFI’s current grant programs grew out of the Agricultural Reinvestment Fund (ARF) program. From 1997 to 2019, ARF helped farmers in North Carolina maintain their livelihoods and adapt to a changing economic landscape. This program originally provided small grants to tobacco farmers to help them diversify their operations and transition to alternative crops and enterprises. Over time, the program extended assistance to non-tobacco farmers facing broader issues affecting rural communities, such as economic development and food security, and grew to include support for initiatives that could strengthen local economies. During its 22-year run, the ARF funded more than 600 farming projects and distributed more than $6 million to agricultural communities in North Carolina. Over 100 of these projects are documented in RAFI’s Growing Innovation library.