The North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services is accepting applications for its Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund.
Donor Name: North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
State: North Carolina
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/17/2025
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Details:
The mission of the fund is to encourage the preservation of qualifying agricultural, horticultural, and forestlands to foster the growth, development, and sustainability of family farms.
Funding Information
- There is no maximum grant request for an agricultural conservation easement application.
- The maximum grant request per agricultural development project application is capped at $500,000.
- The maximum grant request per Local Agricultural Growth Zone application is capped at $2,000,000.
- The maximum grant request per Voluntary Agricultural District application is capped at $8,500.
- The maximum grant request per Farmland Protection Plan or Cost of Community Services Study application is capped at $17,000.
Allowable Costs
- Equipment (Exceeding $5,000)
- Consultant and Specialized Services
- Office Supplies
- Printing and Binding
- Promotional Materials
- Site Development (Plans & Land Preparation)
- Construction
- Special Program Supplies (Less than $5,000)
- Survey
- Baseline Documentation Report
- Environmental Assessment/Audit
- Legal Fees
- Closing Costs
- Stewardship endowment (Funding is limited to 3% of the appraised easement value being purchased by the ADFP Trust Fund and must be equally matched with cash. Donated easements are eligible for funds equal to 1.5% of the appraised easement value being donated.)
- Workshops and Conferences.
Eligibility Criteria
- All applicants must be non-profit conservation organizations or county agencies. (G.S.106-744)
- Farmers, landowners, and others interested in applying must partner with a non-profit conservation organization or county agency to participate in an ADFP Trust Fund grant proposal.
- To be eligible for a conservation easement through the ADFP Trust Fund’s program, the property must be privately-owned, located within the borders of the State of North Carolina, and in working lands use (agriculture, horticulture, forestry). Minimum acreage requirements must follow the present-use value guidelines: Five acres for horticulture, 10 acres for agriculture (row crops or pasture), 20 acres for forestry, or a combination of working lands use. If there are existing easements that have removed the development rights from the property, those easement areas will be ineligible for the program and do not count toward the minimum acreage requirements.
- Agricultural Plan grants are limited to requests that develop a Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) or Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District (EVAD) program, a County Farmland Protection Plan, or a County Cost of Community Services Study.
- Agricultural Development Projects are limited to public or public-private enterprise programs that will promote profitable and sustainable family farms through assistance to farmers in developing and implementing plans to produce food, fiber, and value-added products, agritourism activities, marketing and sales of agricultural products produced on the farm, and other agriculturally related business activities.
For more information, visit NCDACS.
