Applications are now open for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) new Soil Health Financial Assistance Pilot Program soil health equipment grants.
Donor Name: Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA)
State: Minnesota
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/20/2023
Size of the Grant: $500 – $50,000
Details:
The Soil Health Financial Assistance Grant provides cost-share for the purchase and retrofit of soil health equipment. Adopting soil health practices often requires expensive and specific pieces of equipment, creating a need for a cost-share opportunity to offset those costs.
Grant funds are available for purchasing and retrofitting equipment that will assist with implementing soil health farming practices. This grant program is funded through the 2022 Legislative Session, which established the Soil Health Financial Assistance Pilot Program to support healthy soil management practices in Minnesota. This program is administered by the Pesticide and Fertilizer Management Division, Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA).
Grant Priorities
- It is the policy of the State of Minnesota to ensure fairness, precision, equity, and consistency in competitive grant awards. This includes implementing diversity and inclusion in grant-making.
- This grant will prioritize:
- Emerging farmers, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, immigrants, women, veterans, persons with disabilities, young and beginning farmers, LGBTQ+ farmers, and others
- Geographic diversity of grant awardees in Minnesota
Funding Information
Applicants may apply for up to 50% of their project’s total cost with a minimum grant award of $500 and a maximum grant award of $50,000.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must:
- Individual producers, producer groups, and local government units (including cities, towns, counties, soil and water conservation districts, tribal nations, and joint powers boards). A local government unit that receives a grant for equipment purchases must make those purchases available for use by the public.
- Be an owner or lessee or farmland in Minnesota or a LGU, including cities, towns, counties, soil and water conservation districts, Tribal Nations, and joint powers boards.
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- A LGU that receives a grant for equipment purchases must make those purchases available for use by the public.
- Be in good standing with the State of Minnesota:
- No back taxes owed
- No defaults on Minnesota state-backed financing for the last seven years
- Acceptable performance on past MDA grants
- Not be an employee or spouse of an employee of the MDA
Eligible Expenses
- Grant applications must be for the purchase of equipment that will be used to establish, improve, or accelerate soil health. Equipment can be new or used. Parts and materials used to retrofit existing equipment (this does not include tools that can be used again on another project) may also be eligible.
- If they accept your proposal, they will reimburse eligible costs included in your project budget. You will have to submit documentation including invoices and proof of payment:
- You must be invoiced and pay for all project materials and services within 12 months from the grant agreement start date.
- Any expenses incurred outside this timeframe are not eligible for reimbursement without a formal amendment to your contract.
- Any expense incurred before the grant agreement execution date will NOT be reimbursed.
- Equipment purchases must:
- Aim to improve or build soil health.
- Not start until the grant contract agreement is signed by all parties and has reached its start date. No purchasing or contracting of goods may occur prior to the full execution of the grant contract agreement or effective date, whichever is later.
- Be completed in the 12-month term of the grant contract. Grant contracts can be extended if approved but cannot be extended beyond three years.
- Be conducted in Minnesota
For more information, visit MDA.
