Farmer Grants - Mill City Farmers Market

Next Stage Grant Program

The Mill City Farmers Market Charitable Fund (MCFM-CF) is committed to the success and sustainability of the local food economy. MCFM-CF designed the Next Stage Grant to provide funding to local, regenerative farmers and other food producers who are improving sustainable farming and business practices or growing toward the “next stage” of their local food businesses. Learn more in our video below.

Applications for the 2021 grant cycle are open through March 1st, 2021. Find application instructions and more information below.

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2020 Next Stage Grant Awardees

Mhonpaj’s Garden – Cold Storage for Produce
Nistler Farms – Commercial Baking Equipment for Sweet Breads
North Circle Seeds – Organic & Culturally Important Seed Cultivation and Marketing
Northwood Mushrooms – Increasing Dried Mushroom Capacity and Quality
Racing Heart Farm – Deer Eradication Fence
Salt and Light Heritage Farm – Produce Collection for Animal Feed
Solar Fresh Produce – Soil Health in Caterpillar Tunnels
Twin Cities Berry Company – Improving Non-chemical Season Extension for Organic Strawberries in Minnesota

Next Stage Grants range from $2,000 to $7,000 dollars and past projects have included season extension, cold storage for produce and flowers, organic certification and experimenting with new tools and techniques.

Through equipment, technologies and other capacity building that increases yields, improves growing practices and supports small sustainable businesses, farmers and makers become more efficient and successful. We have seen these farmers’ hard work and innovation and know they can be successful with a little help from their community.

“The project is actively changing our lives and bringing much needed financial security to the farm.” -2020 Awardee Leah Bailey, Salt and Light Heritage Farm

Application Information

Applications for MCFM-CF’s 2021 Next Stage Grant cycle are open now through March 1, 2021. Grants are awarded in early April. For any questions please reach out to us us at info@millcityfarmersmarket.org or 612-341-7580.

Applicant Requirements:

Farm or business must sell at one or more regional farmers markets. Preference will be given to applicants with a higher percentage of sales coming from direct-to-consumer sales.
Farm or business must be located in Minnesota or western Wisconsin
Farms and businesses must adhere to Mill City Farmers Market’s Sustainability Statement or the project must aim to bring them closer to meeting it.
Farm or business must have been in operation for more than one year
Not required to be a current vendor at the Mill City Farmers Market

Next Stage Grant program uses can include:

Support farmer transition to organic certification and other sustainable and regenerative farming and land management practices
Training, courses and other forms of education related to capacity-building and sound business practices from professional service providers or qualified consultants (Other farmers or business owners, marketing specialists, web designers, etc.)
Innovations that improve efficiencies, growing practices or product quality

The following may also be funded, but are subject to additional criteria relating to financial need and hardship situations defined by MCFM-CF’s ‘Financial Need Statement’ (in our application documents below):

Building cold storage facilities
Season extension projects
New product development such as value-added farm goods, diversifying crops or livestock, etc.
Software and other technology upgrades such as heaters, refrigerators, solar installations, business management software, etc.
Marketing improvements such as labeling and packaging equipment, web design, etc.

Application Documents:

2021 NSG Description and Application

NSG Budget Template

NSG Financial Summary

Financial Need Statement 2021

Email completed application to info@millcityfarmersmarket.org by March 1st, 2021.

Additional Funding Opportunities

History & Past Projects

Mill City Farmers Market started its grant program in 2013 as a way to support its farmers in times of crop loss and other hardship. Between 2013 and 2017 the Market granted over $66,000 to its vendors in the projects detailed below. The inception of the Market’s Charitable Fund in 2017 has allowed the Market nearly double its grant awards to over $122,000 in just two years and expand the pool of grantees to local farmers and food makers throughout the region who sustain our healthy, local food system.

Mill City Farmers Market still offers its Farmer-In-Need Grant, designed to support farmers in time of hardship. The livelihood of a farm can be vulnerable to an array of unpredictable causes for hardship or loss. While these risks are inherent to farming, this grant is intended to provide support to those who experience extreme hardship.

2019 Project Findings

2018 Project Findings

Support

CTHM Pigs next stage grant

SUPPORT

The Next Stage Grant program is sustained through the generosity of the market community. Please join us in supporting a healthy and sustainable local food economy by donating to this program today. Ways your donation could have an impact:

$25 Many hands make light work! Your donation goes far to support local farmers and makers
$50 Buys 100′ of plastic sheeting to extend the growing season with a greenhouse
$100 Supports a portion of the commercial equipment needed to effeciently process farm produce into sauces, baked goods and dried products for additional year-round income
$350 Provides a “coolbot” temperature controller for a farmers’s cold storage system, improving produce shelf life and quality
$1,000 Funds new tools that reduce hard labor of prepping fields, transplanting and processing harvested crops

DONATE TODAY

DONAte through your Donor Advised Fund

In accordance with IRS guidelines, 100% of your donation is tax deductible.

The Next Stage Grant program is sustained by donations from our generous market community and from CoBank. We are honored to be stewards of this program.

Hardship Grant

The Mill City Farmers Market Charitable Fund (MCFM-CF) has established a Farmer Relief Fund to provide assistance to local farms severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic or who have experienced other hardship such as extreme crop loss or weather damage. The goal of this relief program is to help keep regenerative family farmers on the land, producing nourishing food for all.

Hardship Grant Description and Application

NSG Financial Summary

Applications for our hardship grant program are accepted ongoing as needed. Submit your completed application and financial summary any time via email to info@millcityfarmersmarket.org.

For questions about this process call 612-341-7580 or email us at info@millcityfarmersmarket.org