Hudson Valley Farm Fresh Food Grant Program

We anticipate offering Farm Fresh Grants in 2026

All funds were allocated with multi-year grants in Spring 2023 

The Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, through a grant from the NoVo Foundation, is offered the Hudson Valley Farm Fresh Food grant program for 2023-2025. This grant program is designed to distribute multi-year grant funds in amounts up to $20,000 a year for 3 years to nonprofit organizations in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Ulster counties, The focus of the program is to fund programs and organizations that work to increase access to local, farm fresh food for individuals who are considered food insecure
Eligibility: 

  1. Tax exempt organizations (including faith-based organizations) located in or providing services to Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, and Ulster Counties
  2. Have been operating as a nonprofit organization for at least one year with 501(c)(3) status or an established fiscal sponsorship arrangement with a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Please note that grants are not given to support:

  • Political or partisan purposes
  • Annual fund or campaign appeals
  • Loan reimbursements for capital projects already underway or completed
  • Endowments
  • Religious organizations for sacramental or theological purposes
  • Private operating foundations
  • For-profit organizations

Organizations that are not located in the service areas defined must clearly document the program impact in Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and/or Ulster counties.

Applicants are encouraged to review the grant guidelines carefully and may contact the Community Foundations if they have questions.

Funding Focus:
The Foundations will focus its grant making on applications that effectively increase access to local, farm fresh food to the food insecure, including but not limited to:

  • Support of programs and services that provide effective, creative solutions to increase access to local, farm fresh food, address the issue of food insecurity, leverage existing resources, and expand existing services- whether delivered independently or collaboratively
  • Support of programs and services that provide educational services and resources related to nutrition and health
  • Equipment to increase capacity to grow, collect, distribute, and serve local, farm fresh food and meals to those in need
  • Support for evaluation of health and related indicators to assess outcome data related to the effectiveness of the farm fresh food program
  • Support of programs that thoughtfully integrate equity and social justice components to the farm fresh food program
  • Support for food systems solutions

Funding Available:
TBD in 2026

Awards:              
Grants made through this program will not exceed $20,000 per year for individual organizations. There may be opportunities for collaborating organizations with broad impact to exceed $20,000 in funding. Multi-year funding requests will be considered with appropriate documentation in the application for additional years.

Application:
An online application is required and must be submitted via the link below.

Deadline:
TBD 2026

Questions:
Contact Cristin McPeake, VP Programs at (845) 452-3077 or cmcpeake@communityfoundationshv.org

Review Criteria:

  • Quality of Program/Project: Does the proposed project have a clear charitable purpose? Does the program/project meet the criteria of the Farm Fresh Food grant guidelines? Does the organization adequately describe the program/project and what it wants to accomplish? Does the organization present a clear and realistic plan for implementation, complete with specific activities and a timeline?
  • Capacity and Stability of the Organization: Does the organization appear to have the capacity to carry out the proposed work? Do they have previous experience with this type of program/project or do they demonstrate previous organizational or leadership accomplishments? Is there appropriate expertise and partnerships? Does the organization appear to be functionally and financially stable, based on review of the organization’s operating budget and financial statements?
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Does the organization demonstrate knowledge or a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion? Is the program responsive to the diverse needs and interests of the community? Does leadership, activities and programs authentically represent the culture of one of the populations served? Are specific populations leading or are actively engaged in program development and participation?
  • Budget and Additional Support: Is the program/project budget clear and realistic? If this is an ongoing program/project, is there a reasonable plan for future funding? Is there evidence of support from other funders, or in-kind support for projects that require significant financial support?
  • Impact/ Results: How will this program/project make a difference to the target population and/or to the broader community? How significant is the program/project? Will the outcome be finite or of broad impact to the community? Will it provide a one-time benefit or a long-term impact? Is the program “change-oriented”, addressing root causes rather than immediate needs? Are the goals well-defined? Does the organization have a viable evaluation plan? What is the likelihood that the plan will successfully measure the impact?

Review Process: All applications will be rated on these criteria and reviewed by the Grants Committee of the Community Foundations. All recommendations are reviewed and approved or declined by the Board of Trustees of the Community Foundations.

Apply Online