$1M Available for Urban Farms & Community Gardens Program

$1 million is now available through Round 2 of New York State’s Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grant Program. The program is designed to support community growing spaces and recognize their impact on local food resiliency and food security for New Yorkers. The Request for Proposals seeks to fund projects geared toward the development and enhancement of urban farms, school gardens, and community gardens across the state.

Funding through the Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grant Program will help offset costs associated with projects that focus on food production, food safety, and food distribution, while creating a lasting impact on local food resiliency, and can be used to fund worker wages, contractual expenses, equipment, and other operating expenses. Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations, not-for-profit educational institutions, municipal government entities, and Indian tribal organizations.

Commissioner Richard Ball said, “Community gardens are unique, valuable spaces that contribute so much to underserved areas, from food production to social and economic benefits. The Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grant Program is a key component of our goal to advance these spaces, strengthen our food supply chain, and ensure that all New Yorkers can put food on the table. We’re excited about the progress we’ve seen through Round 1 of the program and encourage all eligible organizations to share their exciting projects with us for consideration as we expand the program to Round 2.”

For more information on the program and how to apply, click here. A virtual webinar, which will provide potential applicants with information about the program, how to apply, and eligibility requirements, will be held on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. For questions or to RSVP to the webinar, please contact [email protected].

The Urban Farms and Community Gardens Grant program complements the State’s ongoing efforts to provide technical assistance to community growing organizations statewide and promote urban agriculture. The inaugural round of the program was announced in Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2022 State of the State Address and dedicated $800,000 to 35 projects across the state. Following this launch, the program was renewed and enhanced in the Governor’s 2023 State of the State plan, with $1 million dedicated this year. The program continues to play a critical role in the Governor’s commitment to making local food more accessible to all New Yorkers and to encourage more urban farming.