The Pine Cone Foundation micro-grant program seeks to support those pursuing long-term careers in agriculture, ranching, fishing, and aquaculture. To ensure that their grants are contributing to ending systemic inequity in access to foodways careers, they commit to providing a minimum of 50% of their grants to Black, Asian, Hispanic, Indigenous, and other people of color, as well as to female-identifying, non-binary, and trans purveyors.
Donor Name: Pine Cone Foundation (PCF)
State: California
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 11/07/2022
Size of the Grant: $2,000 to 3,500
Details:
The PCF micro-grant application is open to established small California-based farms, ranches, fishing, and aquaculture operations that are looking to accomplish a specific project within one year.
The Pine Cone Foundation (PCF) is a 501c3 organization based in the Bay Area with the mission of cultivating a better food future by supporting farming, ranching, fishing, aquaculture, and foodways in California.
They are a private family foundation aiming to positively impact the security of their food supply chain in the face of climate change, discrimination, and rising costs. Their goal is to connect with and support future generations of stewards in their golden state. The organization was founded in 2015 to honor a beloved family member that passed away who loved nature, animals, and waterways, but above all, quality time outdoors and a great meal with loved ones.
Funding Information
Two grants of $2,000 to 3,500 will be awarded in December of 2022.
Eligible Projects (include but are not limited to)
- Paying capital costs associated with improving operations and ramping up production. Examples include: irrigation, fencing, refrigeration systems, stainless steel waterers, fishing equipment such as hook and line upgrades, processing tools or machinery needed to bring products to market, water tanks, tumbler/sorter, hoop house, net bags, floating cages, and greens dryer.
- Replacing infrastructure or equipment that was lost or compromised from natural disasters.
- Launching value-added products or starting new sales channels. Examples include: wholesale, CSA, delivery or subscription offerings.
Acquiring new equipment or making improvements to enhance sustainable practices or launching food access programs. Examples include: soil improvements, beekeeping equipment, creating habitats that sequester carbon or are beneficial to pollinators, and starting a community composting program or increasing food access for low-income and food desert communities. - They will not fund land purchases, new wells, consultants, administrative overhead, or marketing costs.
Eligibility and Qualifications
- Applicant must be 18+ years of age.
- Applicant and the operation must be based in California.
- Applicant must be the owner of the operation; if there are multiple owners, choose just one owner to represent the operation.
- Applicant’s operation must be an established business for 2+ years and have at least 1 year of sales.
- Non-profit organizations are not eligible at this time.
- Farms and ranches – no more than 100 acres in agricultural and grazing production.
- Farms and ranches – land tenure (ownership, a lease, license, or other written agreement) for a reasonable time period will be required for projects that involve on-the-ground, permanent improvements. If tenure is less than 3 years, please be prepared to demonstrate in the application that the tenure is sufficient in relationship to the improvements being made or services being provided.
- Fisheries and aquaculture – applicant’s operations should be small-scale or considered artisanal.
- Fisheries and aquaculture – land tenure (ownership, a lease, license, or other written agreement) for a reasonable time period will be required for projects that involve on-the-ground, permanent improvements. If tenure is less than 3 years, please be prepared to demonstrate in the application that the tenure is sufficient in relationship to the improvements being made or services being provided.
- Applicant is currently making a portion of their income from their farming, ranching, fishing, and aquaculture operations.
- Applicant must have a specific project in mind with costs and labor calculated; project proposals should be geared toward a one-year completion period.
- Applicant must plan to continue business in 2023.
- Applicants must submit a headshot and operation photo with their application. They love to see the people and places for each application. This does not affect your eligibility or probability of receiving a grant.
- Incomplete applications, or those not meeting the requirements stated above, will not be reviewed.
For more information, visit Micro-Grant.
