The state of Washington has several grant programs to support blueberry growers. Beyond grants, USDA does have many loan opportunities for growers such as emergency Loans that are available to 22 Washington counties based on excessive heat from last season.
Federal Grants for Washington State
Community Food Projects are designed to increase food security in communities by bringing the whole food system together to assess strengths, establish linkages, and create systems to improve the self-reliance of community members over their food needs.
Local Food System Infrastructure Grant supports local food supply chains and market access for farms, ranches, food processors, and food distributors. The intention is to fund projects that expand and strengthen collaboration across linkages in the regional food supply chain. This includes planning, equipment, and facilities that support on-farm post-harvest handling, aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, distribution, and sale of Washington-grown, caught, and raised foods. This is an annually recurring opportunity.
Farm-to-School Purchasing Grant is available to school districts to buy local products from farmers within their State. While it’s not a direct grant for farmers, it can be a good way for growers to develop new sales relationships with schools in their area. This is an annually recurring opportunity.
Resilient Food System Infrastructure Program – This is a new USDA program that will be administered in Washington by WSDA. The details are still being developed, but it is similar to our Local Food System Infrastructure Grant in that only post-harvest production activities will be eligible. Applications for this should open later this spring – you can opt to stay in the loop by joining WSDA’s Focus on Food mailing list.ants in Washington
Washington State Grants
Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) – This grant offers up to $20,000 over three years for individual farms. Producers are main applicants. With technical advisors, producers integrate research and education to conduct on-site/on-farm experiments to improve production, marketing, and the environment.
WA State Organic & Sustainable Farming Fund – This grant program is open to all Washington State farmers who: Currently employ or are adopting practices that follow regenerative, sustainable, and/or organic principles (this includes conventional farms that are transitioning into organic, sustainable, or regenerative production). Have been in business for at least two years. Are seeking to improve and/or expand their operation, improve environmental impacts, or become a more sustainable business. Grant requests can be made up to $10,000. Proposals should have objectives that are realistically achievable in a 9-month period (April-December). The total granted amount must be spent by the end of the awarding year. The amount granted (whether in part or in full) will depend on applicant pool needs. Multi-year projects or those exceeding the maximum allowed request will not be funded. We recognize the importance of multi-year projects but cannot guarantee funding for projects beyond a single year.
New Producers Grant – This grant opportunity celebrates the ingenuity and passion of new producers and can help their dreams come to fruition. This program was developed for those who have a vision for their operation but lack the funds to put their plans into action. Successful applicants will receive a one-time $15,000 grant to support their operation’s growth.
You can also keep track of WSDA grants on our website here.