Farmers Advocating for Organic Grant Program

Posted on August 11, 2021 by Taylor in Farming Resources, Funding, Organic, Policy, Politics, Research // 0 Comments

Farmers Advocating For Organic Grant Program from Organic Valley

Farmers Advocating For Organic (FAFO) is an organic grant program funded entirely by voluntary contributions from Organic Valley farmers. It’s the largest farmer-funded grant program in the U.S. and one of the few focused solely on organic.

The FAFO program awards grants of $5,000-$50,000 to research, education, and advocacy projects that protect and promote the organic industry and the livelihood of organic farmers.

Within this context, FAFO is currently prioritizing projects that focus on:

Projects that benefit family farmers who produce organic dairy, eggs, meat, produce, and grain/forage
Projects that focus on organic soil health and biology
Projects that strengthen CROPP Cooperative (internal)

For the 2021 grant cycle the deadline to submit an LOI is September 1, and the final application deadline is September 15.

The Farmers Advocating for Organic (FAFO) Grant Program began with the 2002 Farm Bill, which included an exemption for organic farmers from contributing to national promotion programs like “Got Milk?” In response, Organic Valley devised a way for farmers to pool their exemptions into an organic-focused granting fund as a way to promote and advance organic farming.

Our name says it all: Farmers Advocating for Organic. FAFO is a grant program funded entirely by annual, voluntary contributions from Organic Valley farmers. It’s the largest farmer-funded organic grant program in the U.S. and one of the few focused solely on organic.

More information and application instructions can be found here. If you have further questions about the FAFO Organic Grant Program, please feel free to contact Stacy Wrobel at Organic Valley.

Stacy Wrobel
Organic Valley | CROPP Cooperative
One Organic Way, La Farge, WI 54639
stacy.wrobel@organicvalley.coop

Organic Valley isn’t a giant corporation. We’re a cooperative of farmers across the country who share the same commitment to growing food the right way. We’re not driven by profits; we’re driven by principles.