Advocates for Urban Agriculture, Food:Land:Opportunity, And Slow Food Chicago
LAUNCH COVID-19 FARMER SUPPORT GRANT
The COVID-19 Farmer Support Grant is an initiative led by Advocates for Urban Agriculture (AUA) and Food:Land:Opportunity (FLO), in partnership with Slow Food Chicago (SFC), that will provide small grants of $500-$1,000 to Chicagoland farm businesses who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are in need of immediate financial support for one or more of the following purposes:
Farm Supplies: Personal protective equipment (PPE), farm tools, and harvest supplies.
Farmer Income Support: Farmers experiencing a personal loss of income associated with their farm business.
Food Safety Initiatives: Hand washing station materials, cleaning supplies.
Labor Support: Supplemental labor costs.
Market Adaptation: Adaptations to existing market channels.
Priority will be given to Chicagoland farmers who are experiencing a loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have limited access to external funding. This grant does not support volunteer-run community gardens, residential gardens, or farm businesses outside of Chicagoland.
Throughout April, Advocates for Urban Agriculture (AUA) and Slow Food Chicago (SFC) will be carrying out a fundraising campaign in support of this grant opportunity. To contribute or learn more visit www.auachicago.org, www.slowfoodchicago.org, or get in direct contact with AUA’s Outreach Manager at ou******@au********.org.
The application for the COVID-19 Farmer Support Grant can be found here (y Aqui en Español) and will be accessible on AUA’s website. All applications must be submitted by April 20 and grants will be awarded to recipients by the first week of May.
The COVID-19 Farmer Support Grant is part of a larger grant initiative being led by Advocates for Urban Agriculture and Food:Land:Opportunity. Later in 2020, AUA will be releasing applications for a capacity-building grant program, designed by and for Chicagoland farmers. The capacity-building grants will empower Chicagoland farm businesses to expand their ability to produce and distribute locally grown food. More information will be released in the coming months.