Grant Guidelines

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Thank you for your interest in applying for a Fund-a-Farmer grant! In this second year of the project, FACT will continue making small grants to qualifying livestock and poultry farmers who wish to improve their farm animal welfare. We will award grants of up to $1,500 for projects designed to:

  1. Help farms transition to pasture-based systems, or
  2. More generally enrich the conditions in which the farm animals are raised, or
  3. Improve the marketing of their humane products

We accept applications via email or mail. Please note: due to technical difficulties, we are no longer accepting applications online. 


Download the Application

Applications must emailed or postmarked by May 1, 2013. You can email or mail in the completed application and required documents. Please include the name of your farm in the subject line. We will award grants by mid-August 2013. Please email Lisa Isenhart or call (773) 525-4952 with any questions. We look forward to receiving your application!

Criteria for eligibility

  1. Projects must be designed to change on-farm management practices related to animal welfare and/or improve marketing of humane products. (No slaughter related proposals accepted.)
  2. Only farms located in the continental United States will be considered.
  3. FACT does not fund start-up ventures or non-profit organizations. A start-up venture is a farm that is in its first year of production and has not filed taxes on its operation in the past. New projects on existing farms will be considered. Funding for entities other than individuals will be considered on a case by case basis.
  4. No funds will be awarded for the purchase of animals or recurring expenses (e.g. animal feed, equipment maintenance, end-product ingredients such as spices).
  5. Farms applying for funding for a pasture or welfare project must raise at least one of the following animal species: pigs, broiler chickens, laying hens, dairy cows, and beef cattle. Proposed on-farm animal welfare improvement projects must impact at least one of these species. Welfare and pasture projects solely focused on goats and sheep will not be eligible for funding.
  6. Farms applying for funding for a marketing based project must raise at least one of the following species: goats, sheep, pigs, broiler chickens, laying hens, dairy cows, and beef cattle.
  7. Grants will be made only to farmers for a project on a working, independent family farm. This is a farm on which a family or individual owns the animals, is engaged in the day to day management of the farm and its animals, derives a share of livelihood from the farm, and produces a livestock product for sale. (Schedule F form or a general farm income statement from your 2012 tax return is required with application.)
  8. For grants geared toward marketing, applications will only be considered from farms already considered highly welfare-oriented as determined by holding one of the following certifications:
    1. American Grassfed Certified
    2. Animal Welfare Approved
    3. Certified Humane
    4. Certified Naturally Grown
    5. USDA Certified Organic
  9. All grant applications must include a concrete implementation plan. Non-marketing applications should include steps for increasing access to pasture and/or improving animal welfare of the pigs, broiler chickens, laying hens, dairy cows or beef cattle on the operation. Marketing applications should include steps needed to complete your project and grow your farm business.
  10. If awarded a grant, farmers must agree to a scheduled farm visit by FACT staff, as well as flash photography on farm and use of farm name/photos in FACT publications and websites.
  11. If awarded a grant, farmers will be provided with a grant contract for review and signature. Grantees will also be required to submit a short report at the conclusion of grant period (September 1, 2014).
  12. We will only accept one application per farm per year.

Grant Project Examples

For guidance on the general types of projects FACT aims to fund, please review the examples below. This is not intended to be a comprehensive list. As long as you meet FACT’s eligibility criteria and make a compelling case that your project would effectively improve animal welfare and/or marketing of humane products, your proposal will be considered. A list of previously funded projects is available at www.fundafarmer.org.

Improving Access to pasture – Projects that would:

  • Revamp existing housing to encourage outdoor access
  • Build new housing, such as portable houses for frequent rotation of hens, integrated production systems, hoop houses
  • Improve quality of pasture in terms of animal nutrition and health of land
  • Increase shade and protect against the elements and predators
  • Provide effective/safe fencing of pasture

General improvements to farm animal welfare – Projects that would:

  • Provide alternatives to mutilation
  • Provide more opportunities to exhibit natural behaviors and instincts (cow scratchers, pig foraging areas, deep litter for poultry, etc.)

Increasing marketing capabilities – Projects that would:

  • Assist with co-op development
  • Aid website development to increase internet marketing
  • Enable CSA development, farmers market participation or value-added products
  • Training

Applications must be emailed or postmarked by May 1, 2013



Apply now! Download the Application


You can email or mail in the completed application and required documents. Please include the name of your farm in the subject line.

Alternatively, you can mail your completed application to:

Food Animal Concerns Trust
Attn: Fund-a-Farmer Project
3525 W. Peterson Avenue, Suite 213
Chicago, IL 60659

If you have questions about the application, please contact Lisa Isenhart at grants@foodanimalconcerns.org or call (773) 525-4952.

Application Instructions

A completed application consists of the following elements:

  1. Application form (farm information & project summary information)
  2. Signed Authorization stating that your farm is a working, independent family farm
  3. Schedule F form (or comparable form) from your 2012 tax return
  4. One page narrative proposal
  5. Detailed project budget
  6. Three color photographs that accurately depict the current state of your operation. At least one photograph should include the animals and their living conditions as described in your proposal.

Because FACT staff members are not able to meet and visit applicants, we ask that you provide us with three photographs of your operation. At least one photograph should include the animals and their living conditions as described in your proposal. The other photograph(s) can be of your buildings, land/pasture, etc. – whatever makes the most sense to support your proposal. Photographs can should be attached if you email your application. Please do not send more than three photographs, as the additional photographs will not be considered. If you are mailing your application, please include hard copies.

Section 1: Farm Information

Please provide us with all the basic information about your farm operation and business. Please write “N/A” for any fields that do not apply to you. Please note any other certifications your farm holds.

Section 2: Proposal Information

Please indicate the type of grant for which you are applying and which animals the project will impact. Applications for marketing grants must be from farms already holding one of the following humane certifications: American Grassfed Certified, Animal Welfare Approved, Certified Humane, Certified Naturally Grown, or USDA Certified Organic. In this section we also ask you to summarize your proposal in a few sentences and include the dollar amount requested. Grants will be capped at $1,500 and may be used to partially or fully fund your project.

Section 3: Authorization

Please read the statement certifying that the farm for which the funds are requested is a working, independent family farm. If your operation meets this requirement, please have an authorized representative of your farm operation sign the online form. If your operation does not meet this requirement, please do not apply.

Section 4: Project Narrative

Please describe your proposed project in the space provided. Include information on:

  • The number of and species of animal(s) you expect the project to impact
  • The steps you plan to take to implement your project
  • When you expect your project to be completed
  • If your proposed project is part of a larger project on your farm
  • How you will evaluate the success of your project in terms of animal welfare improvements and/or increased marketing ability
  • If you are applying for partial funding, please describe how you will pay for the remaining project expenses (e.g. other grants, out of pocket)

 

Section 5: Detailed Project Budget

Please provide us with a budget for your proposed project, including both the amount and the type of expenses. We do not require detailed financial information on your farm’s annual income and expenses other than total figures, along with your 2012 Schedule F form. If certain expense categories do not apply to your project, you may leave them blank. Alternatively, please add any categories in which you expect to incur expenses, using additional lines as necessary. Please indicate the total cost for your project and if this amount differs from the amount requested from FACT (up to $1,500). Applications will be considered for projects requesting both partial and full funding.

Section 6: Additional Required Documents

Please include three color photographs of your farm as well as your farm’s Schedule F form from your 2012 tax return.

Mission

FACT’s mission is to improve the welfare of food producing animals, broaden opportunities for humane farmers, and address the public health problems that come from the production of meat, milk, and eggs. More about FACT...