Farmer Emergency Fund

Grant & Application Details

The NOFA-VT Farmer Emergency Fund is available to assist Vermont certified organic and NOFA-VT member commercial farmers who are in financial need after having been adversely affected by natural and unnatural disasters such as income loss due to crop failure, field flooding, fire, barn collapse, etc. 

Farmers may request up to $2,500 in grants that do not need to be repaid. 

Successful applicants will be notified as soon as possible. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and reviewed by a loan review committee with representatives from the NOFA-VT staff and the NOFA-VT Board of Directors.  Once the application is received, you should receive notification of the committee’s decision within two weeks.

Please note:

• The fund is available to current certified Vermont Organic Farmers (VOF) who have been certified for at least one year or current NOFA-VT commercial farmers who have been NOFA-VT members for at least one year.
• The fund may be used to help replace infrastructure (for example greenhouse, barn, fencing), seed, feed, livestock, equipment and other losses caused by the disaster.
• The fund may be used to help pay outstanding farm related bills and immediate needs (loan and mortgage repayments, etc).
• The fund is not an alternative to insurance and does not cover losses that are covered by a successful insurance claim or losses covered by other sources.
• The fund may not be used to cover projected income from crops lost from the disaster.