Round One of this program was extraordinarily competitive with 297 submissions requesting more than $22 million dollars. Following an extensive review process, 19 projects were selected for funding and $850,000 was awarded to beginning farmers across NY State.
NYFVI anticipates launching Round Two, which will award $1.7 million early in 2026. The program will continue to seek proposals that will advance Beginning Farmer’s plan to grow their business and become a financially sustainable, independent, agricultural enterprise.
NYFVI conducted an analysis of the 297 applications to be able to identify the characteristics of the most competitive applications. It is available below. Potential applicants are encouraged to review the analysis as well as the grant information and resources that were provided for the first round here.
While the program will evolve, all applicants should be ready to provide a clear financial case for how the assets purchased with the grant funds will help them start or grow their business.
A list of the Beginning Farmers that were awarded grants in the first round is available below.
The Beginning Farmer competitive grant program is funded through the generous support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State legislature. It is administered by the New York Farm Viability Institute in partnership with NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYS AGM). The upcoming Request for Proposals (RFP) utilizes the generous appropriation from the New York State Governor and legislature in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 fiscal years.