Johnson County created the Community Food and Farm Grant Program in response to COVID-19’s impacts on the local food system.
Donor Name: Johnson County
State: Iowa
County: Johnson County (IA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/12/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The pandemic impacted small farms, small food businesses, and households, affecting how food is grown, sold, and accessed. The following impacts show a need to both increase access to fresh food and support the small farms and food businesses who feed the community.
Purpose
Increase community-based food production, processing, and distribution capacity to strengthen food security in Johnson County, IA.
Grant Goals
Applicants must demonstrate how their project will meet at least one of the following grant goals.
- Goal 1: Farm and food businesses grow, process, cook, or distribute more community-based food
- Goal 2: Farm and food business workers and/or entrepreneurs develop skills to improve their businesses through education and technical assistance
- Goal 3: Low-income communities have more opportunities to access community-based food
Funding Information
- Up to $350,000 is available for this grant cycle.
- Applicants can request $1,000 – $25,000.
Eligible Costs
Projects could include but are not limited to:
- Farm or kitchen equipment and infrastructure to support production, processing, storage, and distribution of food
- Business education and technical assistance costs, such as business coaching, hiring a consultant to develop a business plan, or food handling classes
- Expenses that improve business operations such as accounting software or marketing materials
- Business support costs including license fees, transportation, or childcare
- Creation of new food distribution sites
- Neighborhood projects that help people grow or access food
- Costs that support adding SNAP/EBT, sliding scale, or other income-based payment options to businesses
- Business mentorships.
Eligibility Criteria
- Application entities must be a farm, food business, nonprofit, or individual who produces, processes, or distributes community-based food in Johnson County, IA or enables these activities.
- Application entities must receive less than $1 million in gross income annually (sales, grants, and/or donations)
- Projects must impact residents of Johnson County, IA
- Projects must include local food product(s) grown or raised in Johnson County or East Central Iowa. In the application, you must name the source of your local food product. Local food sources include individual farm, farmers markets, food hubs, dairies/creameries, and meat and egg processors.
For more information, visit Johnson County.
