Active Grants

These are the federal or state grants of interest currently open as of June 10, 2024. Links to program information are included, but feel free to reach out to KCARD at (859) 550-3972 or kcard@kcard.info for more information as well.

Deadline: Ongoing

Funding Amount: $3,000/year for implementing practices + $500/year for completed farm assessment.

Eligibility: Kentucky farm businesses implementing or interested in implementing climate-smart NRCS practices (e.g. cover cropping, perennial planting, rotational grazing), collect data on outcomes and engage with emerging markets seeking positive environmental and climate impacts.

Enrolled acres must produce at least one of the following commodities: vegetables, fruits, beef, lamb, corn, soybeans, small grains, a range of agroforestry products. Participating farmers with enrolled acres are expected to share sales information about climate-verified commodities.

Three types of cash incentives are available:

  • $500/year when the farmer completes the Global Farm Metric - Farm Sustainability Assessment Tool, which provides an annual snapshot of farm resilience.

  • $3,000 in year one for implementing climate-smart practices. This is a flat incentive for one or multiple practices on small or large acreage. Farms are encouraged to enroll in the project in subsequent years and will receive an additional incentive payment each year.

    $180/year in soil health tests paid for directly by OAK.

Climate Smart Project (oak-ky.org)


Deadline: Quarterly

Funding Amount: Up to 15% reimbursement can be earned on eligible local food purchases.

Eligibility: Kentucky Proud restaurants, caterers, schools and other food service participants that source and support local farms

Support Local Farmers | Buy Local | Kentucky Proud


Deadline: Last Friday of each month

Eligibility: For profit entities/businesses and nonprofit entities

Eligible Uses: Projects must benefit multiple producers as an investment in Kentucky Agriculture

2023 Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund Applicants


Deadline: June 30, 2024 and September 30, 2024

Funding Amount:

  • Renewable Energy System Grants: $2,500 to
    $1 million

  • Energy Efficiency Grants: $1,500 to $500,000 

Eligibility:

  • Agricultural producers with at least 50 percent of their gross income coming from agricultural operations.

  • Small businesses in eligible rural areas.

Eligible Uses: The program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing.

Applications for this program are accepted year-round at your local office.

Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Loans & Grants in Kentucky | Rural Development (usda.gov)


Deadline: August 1, October 1, and December 1, 2024

Funding Amount: up to $5,000

Eligibility: Kentucky farm with sales between $1,000 - $250,000 in the previous two years

Eligible Uses: Value-Added Enterprise; Certified Organic Agriculture; Agroforestry/Specialty Crops; Food Systems Resiliency; and Emerging Agricultural Technologies. Opportunities for farmer education and beginning beekeeping are also available.

Kentucky State University | Small-Scale Farm Grant Program (kysu.edu)


Deadline: October 31, 2024

Funding Amount: Certified operations may receive up to 75 percent of their certification costs paid during the program year, not to exceed $750 per certification category for crops, wild crops, livestock, processing/handling

Eligibility: Any certified organic producers or handlers who have paid organic certification fees to a USDA-accredited certifying agent

Eligible Uses: Cost share assistance covers expenses including application fees, inspection costs, fees related to equivalency agreement and arrangement requirements, inspector travel expenses, user fees, sales assessments and postage.

Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) (usda.gov)


Deadline: All events must take place before November 14, 2024. Applications for Farm to Fork events are due 30 days before the event.

Funding Amount: reimburses 50% (up to $750) of the event's eligible Kentucky Proud products and associated promotional expenditures.

Eligibility: Organizations hosting an event to highlight local farms, farmers, producers, and Kentucky Proud products

Eligible Uses: Meal ingredients and items with Kentucky Direct-Farm Impact; Marketing and promotional costs cannot exceed 50% of the total reimbursement.

Farm to Fork | Farm to Table Program | Kentucky Proud