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Applications are closed! Thank you to everyone who submitted. NCTFA will host a second round of the grant in Fall 2024.

Farmers are uniquely impacted by climate change. Flooding, heat waves, drought, and other unprecedented weather events are just a few challenges Connecticut farmers have had to navigate in the past few years. Farmers are also uniquely positioned to mitigate some of its worst effects by building local resilience to these severe weather events. NCTFA seeks to support the next generation of climate stewards to tend to the land in ways that will ultimately benefit all of us.

We will be awarding grants to 22 Connecticut farms in 2024 to fund a range of agriculture and forestry practices that contribute to climate change mitigation and resilience. 

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Example of Climate Smart Agriculture:

Silvopasture at Massaro Community Farm

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Who is eligible?

NCTFA’s grant program is open to any farm located in Connecticut. We will give priority consideration to applications from new/beginning farmers, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) farmers, LGBTQ+ farmers, veteran farmers, and farmers who speak English as a second language.

what does the grant cover?

Farmers can apply for funding for climate smart agricultural or forestry practices.

A resource list of practices is available here: NCTFA Climate Smart Practices. Your project does not have to be on this list. (Not sure whether your project is a climate smart practice? Get in touch with us to talk it through!)

 

We will be looking for applications that include the following components:

  • One or more climate smart practice

  • Clear project vision with evidence of careful planning, thought and research

  • Demonstrates creative problem solving, and meets a current or emerging need

  • Project is feasible with planned personnel, project activities timeline, and budget expenses

  • Evidence that project will have impact beyond the one year of implementation

 

We also prioritize projects that have already secured NRCS funding for the proposed project, or projects that the applicant is in the process of applying for NRCS funding.​

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Examples of Climate Smart projects

These are just a few examples! See more on ​our NCTFA Climate Smart Practices 

list, and we are also happy to work with ideas that are not on our list!

  • Solar panels on previously existing farm infrastructure (not primary farm residence) to power on farm electricity needs

  • Purchase of equipment for cover cropping, reduced till, and no-till systems

  • Pasture development and fencing

  • Silvopasture development (combining trees and pasture for raising livestock)

  • Agroforestry (pasture or crops are integrated with trees and shrubs) and perennial crop plantings

  • Forest management

  • Energy efficiency upgrades & establishment of energy efficient infrastructure, including purchase of electric tools and equipment

  • Climate smart irrigation projects

  • Season extension 

  • On farm composting

  • Safety equipment and infrastructure for farmers to deal with heat and extreme weather events

  • Projects that promote knowledge sharing between farmers about climate smart practices

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What is NOT covered?

Areas NOT funded by this grant:

  • Land acquisition or mortgages

  • Cost of borrowing (points and other fees)

  • Expenses related to establishing a new organization/business

  • Any portion of expense for which the applicant pays a contractor in merchandise or service in lieu of cash

  • Tuition/tuition reimbursement or career-related/scholarship funds

  • Disposable supplies (office, farm, otherwise) unrelated to the project

  • Legal expenses related to litigation

  • Income Taxes

  • Any expenses before grant contract is signed

Grant amounts

Funding will be available in two tiers:

  • 18 grants of up to $8,000

  • 4 grants of up to $30,000

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How to apply!

There are three ways you can apply:

  1. Fill out an application here

  2. OR record a video of yourself answering all the application questions, and submit your video here

  3. OR set up a farm visit for us to come to you by reaching out to the contact info below. We will record your answers to the application questions

​

Please let us know if you have any questions, and how we can help with your application. Contact Liz at nctfaclimate@gmail.com or 860-785-3099 for English. Comuníquese con Xochitl al 203-680-0455 o xochitl.ahtziri.garcia@gmail.com para español.

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Deadlines & timeline

  • Applications open on November 6th, 2023
    and close on January 12th, 2024 at 11:59pm

  • Grantees will be announced in February 2024

  • Grant funds will be distributed in full in March 2024

  • Projects must be completed between March 2024 to March 2025

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questions?

Please let us know how we can help with your application.

 

Contact Liz at nctfaclimate@gmail.com or 860-785-3099 for English.

 

Comuníquese con Xochitl al 203-680-0455 o xochitl.ahtziri.garcia@gmail.com para español.

Funding for this project was paid for the Climate Smart Farming: Agriculture and Forestry Grant. Funding awarded and administered by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture.

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