By Clare Salerno, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative (WLEI) is now accepting applications for the ARPA Primary Producer Impact Grant and the Supply Chain Impact Grant. Vermont-based farm, food, and forest sector businesses may apply for grants for $50,000 - $250,000. These two different Impact Grants are available targeting specific segments of Vermont’s agricultural supply chain.
ARPA Primary Producer Impact Grant: Examples of eligible primary production activities are farming, livestock rearing, sugaring, dairy, and logging. Applicants must have been operational prior to January 2020, and grant funds should be used to support business’ ongoing recovery from the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Supply Chain Impact Grant: Many successful Vermont working lands businesses impact other layers of Vermont’s rural and regional economy, a distinct element the Working Lands Enterprise Board considers when processing applications for the Supply Chain Impact Grant. Projects for this grant should:
- Make significant process and/or infrastructure improvements for medium to large scale production, producer-processing initiatives, or distribution of forestry and/or agriculture products, OR
- Bring forest or agriculture products into supply chain at a scale that can strengthen the industry, address the sector on a market-wide scale, and/or address a market downturn, OR
- Use innovative technologies or approaches that will lead to new opportunities for multiple businesses and/or will increase the scale of the business to meet a growing market demand.
Gevry Firewood in Addison received a Supply Chain Impact Grant in 2022. “We do what we do because we like being able to provide our local area with high quality firewood. We also do it to enrich the local economy, from supporting area loggers to buying our fuel and parts locally, while creating jobs in our community,” said Ethan Gevry of Addison, Vermont. “The grant activities have put our business in a very good position where we can easily scale to meet market demands.”
Image: Gevry Firewood
Projects eligible for funding in either grant may relate to one or more of the following categories:
- Market development
- Research and development
- Infrastructure development
- Workforce training and development
These grants expect a match equal to 100% of the grant request, meaning that a business applying for a $100,000 grant should expect to contribute $100,000 in their own cash and/or labor. Under limited circumstances, the matching requirement may be reduced or waived for applicants who demonstrate a clear need for this accommodation.
The application portal is now through January 19th. Applicants will be notified in mid-February 2024 if they are invited to submit a final round application, which will be due at the end of March. Final round applicants will be notified of award decisions in early May, and projects can begin in June.
For questions regarding this or other WLEI grant opportunities, please contact Clare Salerno by email at clare.salerno@vermont.gov or by phone 802-917-2637.