The Organic Transition grants provide financial support to farmers who want to shift into to organic production.
Donor Name: CCOF Organic
State: California
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/10/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
These grants and technical assistance are available to farmers and ranchers in California who are interested in transitioning to organic production.
Program participants receive grants, mentorship, and technical support in agronomy, business and financial literacy, marketing, and market development over a three-year period.
Funding Information
$10,000 per year for three years, for a total of $30,000.
Allowable Costs
- Organic livestock, poultry, and related expenses, such as animal health management required by organic standards;
- Organic feed;
- Educational materials, training on organic certification and production, or meeting attendance, in addition to services offered by CCOF;
- Inspection and certification fees;
- On-farm water or soil testing fees;
- Outside consultant fees if desired, as for development of an Organic System Plan (OSP);
- Farming supplies to be applied to organic farming on the transitioning acres, such as organic-approved plastic mulch;
- Farm equipment and repair to that equipment, where equipment is specific or widely preferred for organic farming of the type expected to occur on the transitioning acres. Qualifying equipment must be drawn from the following list:
- Compost production, storage or spreading installations and equipment;
- Weed management tools such as flamers or tines, tarps, row cover;
- Transplanting or direct seeding equipment;
- Intercropping equipment and modifications;
- IPM-aligned equipment;
- Other cover-cropping equipment;
- On-farm processing and distribution equipment (e.g., peelers, coolers, produce washing, sorting and sizing bins, refrigerated vehicles for transporting whole or minimally processed food) where it is applicable to the products expected from transitioning acres.
- Organic seeds and starts, including cover crop seeds;
- Organic fertilizers;
- Organic pest control inputs;
- Ecosystem enhancement supplies and equipment (e.g., hedgerows, owl boxes, riparian area protection);
- Compost, compost building materials, and similar organic amendments;
- “Custom farming” operations (e.g., contracting out to perform planting).
Eligibility Criteria
Organic Transition grant applicants must:
- Be farming or ranching in California (and must reside in California)
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Currently practice, or will practice regenerative organic production methods
- Provide written documentation of landowner’s approval to transition if renting/leasing
- Have a business plan, marketing plan (for after certification), and/or an Organic Systems Plan for transitioning to certified organic production and/or be in the process of completing these plans
- Submit supporting financial documentation (i.e. Profit and Loss Statements from current and previous years)
- Have a minimum of five years of agricultural production experience
- Have at least two years of running or owning a farming or ranching business and/or equivalent experience
- Be willing to conduct an interview as part of the application process
- Submit a Letter of Reference with your application
- Submit a map and farm / ranch details with your application
- Submit all records and/or receipts of grant funding expenditures (for grantees only)
- Submit a yearly report and a final report at the end of the grant period (for grantees only).
For more information, visit CCOF.
