Working Lands Enterprise Initiative Opens Producer Association and Service Provider Grant Applications

Up to $370K available for Fiscal Year 2025 grant round - Applications open today

September 20, 2024 | Montpelier, VT- The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative (WLEI) is opening applications for the Service Provider & Producer Association Grant, which aims to provide business support services to Vermont agriculture, food, and forestry businesses, and to strengthen Vermont producer associations in these sectors. The application portal is open from September 20^th through November 7^th, 2024.

This grant is for two types of applicants:

• Service providers, which are organizations that provide business support services to agricultural and forestry businesses.
• Producer associations, which are organizations founded and funded by Vermont businesses related to agriculture, food, beverage, forest, or fiber products.

Service provider grant projects should provide direct or indirect services to support Vermont-based working lands businesses. Producer association grant projects may also provide these services to their members, or the project can be about association's governance and operations. Up to $370,000 is available to award. This year, there is no match requirement for this grant.

There are two types of award categories:

• $10,000-$25,000 for pilot projects(a new initiative or one begun in the last 1-2 years) or projects that serve businesses in a specific region of Vermont

• $25,000-75,000 for projects that serve businesses statewide

More details about the Service Provider & Producer Association Grant can be found at: FY25 Working Lands Service Provider & Producer Association Grant. A recorded webinar will be offered on Tuesday, September 24 at 11am on Microsoft Teams. Please register here to attend the webinar

The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative (WLEI) and governing board (WLEB) were created in 2012 to promote economic development in the agricultural and forestry sectors. Please follow @vtworkinglands and sign up for the VT Ag Bulletin for updates and application announcements.

For questions regarding WLEI grant opportunities, please contact:

Clare Salerno |Program Coordinator | Working Lands Enterprise Initiative

[email protected] | 802-917-2637