2025 Urban Farms & Community Gardens Grant Program

Background
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets is launching the 2025 Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grant Program to provide funding for the development and expansion of community gardens, school gardens, and urban farms throughout New York State. This initiative aims to support urban agriculture, which involves growing food and raising animals in densely populated areas. It also addresses the need for infrastructure and sustainability in these projects. The program seeks to enhance local food resiliency by focusing on food production, safety, and distribution.

Work Details
The grant program offers a total of $2,500,000 with individual awards ranging from $25,000 to $50,000. Eligible projects must establish new or expand existing community gardens, school gardens, or urban farms. Projects should include at least one sub-award to a community organization for capacity building. Eligible costs include personnel expenses (salaries, internships), materials and equipment purchases, planning and consulting services, and improvements to infrastructure related to food production and distribution. Ineligible costs include salaries unrelated to the project, travel costs not associated with project activities, and any indirect costs.

Period of Performance
The project term is from January 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027.

Place of Performance
Projects can be implemented in all counties across New York State.

Bidder Requirements
Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions (K-12 schools and universities), municipal government entities, community-led groups with fiscal sponsors, and Indian tribal organizations. Applicants must be registered with the New York State Charities Bureau if applicable. There are no specific set-aside goals for minority or women-owned businesses for this grant.