The "Advancing Urban Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems in Virginia" team is excited to announce the availabililty of mini-grant funds and is now accepting proposals for projects aimed at enhancing urban agriculture across the state. Grants will range from $5,000 to $15,000, with a project period of up to 12 months. 

The goal of mini-grant funding is to build the capacity of existing urban agriculture work in Virginia. This funding opportunity aligns with the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) to define urban agriculture broadly to include farming and growing activity in an urban area. These funds are aimed to assist those individuals, organizations, and/or community-based groups already active in urban agriculture. Successful projects must fill a perceived need and also align with the aims of the “Advancing Urban Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems in Virginia” Initiative (see in the full RFP or on our project overview page)

Key Dates

  • Request for Proposals Opens― June 17, 2024
  • PROPOSAL DEADLINE― August 19, 2024 (5 PM Eastern Time)
  • Proposals Reviewed by Project Team ― September 2024
  • Proposals Reviewed by USDA FSA ― September 2024
  • Awardees to be Notified ― October 1, 2024
  • Period of Performance  ― October 14, 2024 – November 13, 2025
  • Deadline to submit final report, financial report, and project data – December 15, 2025

Informational Webinars

For additional information, we hosted one virtual meeting with Q&A on June 20. A recording of the presentation is available for your review.

We are hosting one additional virtual Q&A meetings on July 26, 2024 from 9:00-10:00 AM ET. Please REGISTER to attend. 

Eligibility Checklist

Please see the checklist below to make sure your project would be a good fit for this RFP. If you answer yes to all of these points, we invite you to apply!

  • The proposal will be submitted by a non-profit organization, community-based organization, Tribal entity, or an urban agricultural farmer (for-profit or not-for-profit).
  • The proposed work will enhance and build the capacity of current urban agriculture activities in Virginia.  
  • The proposed work will only take place in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
  • The proposal clearly identifies a need to support urban agriculture and food systems activity. 
  • The proposal focuses on supporting urban agricultural issues and needs that align with the goals of the “Advancing Urban Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems in Virginia” Initiative.
  • The project will be completed within 12 months (October 14, 2024 – November 13, 2025).
  • The budget does not include equipment costs more than $5,000.
  • The budget does not include costs for the purchasing of land or for the repayment of loans.
  • The total funding request is between $5,000 and $15,000.
  • The applicant is prepared to participate in all project reporting efforts.
  • If awarded, the applicant is able to receive funding as a contractual service through Virginia Tech. This requires a W-9 form. This also includes the ability to receive an advance payment of 50% of the proposed budget and final 50% at the end of the project with an invoice.

Request for Proposal Key Information

Key highlights from the Request for Proposal (RFP) are outlined below. If you plan to apply for a mini-grant, be sure to carefully read through the full RFP. 

Successful mini-grant projects should fill a perceived need of the applicant and their communities of interest. All successful proposals should also focus on supporting urban agricultural issues and needs that align with the goals of the “Advancing Urban Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems in Virginia” Initiative. Priority will be given to proposals that give attention to underserved farmers in urban communities. Specifically, priority will be given to those urban agriculture projects that aim to:

  1. Increase underserved farmer capacity for growing food, expanding operations, implementing climate-friendly practices, and building on-farm sustainability.
  2. Increase the technical support of underserved farmers to provide healthy food in their local urban communities.
  3. Improve urban agriculture community capacity to actively meet equity goals.
  4. Advance current agricultural activity in urban areas in Virginia.

The following are example topics that mini-grant projects may include (but are not limited to):

  • Community farming or gardening in low wealth urban communities
  • Urban agriculture land access programming, policy, and/or outreach
  • Equity-based urban agriculture and food systems improvements
  • Building urban agriculture resilience to a changing climate
  • Urban agricultural marketing, networking, and awareness-building
  • Technical assistance to increase healthy urban food production and dissemination.
  • Funding will be allocated for a period of performance of no more than 12 months with the estimated dates of October 14, 2024 – November 13, 2025.
  • Awards will range from $5,000 to $15,000.
  • Funding will be set up as a contractual agreement with Virginia Tech. With a contractual agreement, Virginia Tech can provide an advance payment of 50% up front based on proposal budget and 50% at the end of the project with a final invoice. Otherwise, the full payment will be reimbursed at the end of the project with an invoice.

Funding Restrictions
Funds may not be used to buy land or for the repayment of loans. Equipment costs are allowable but must be capped at $5,000. Funds can only be used for activities directly related to the project. 

The application packet will include the following:

  • Cover sheet (1-page, format provided)
  • Summary (300 words)
  • Narrative (3-page max) (template provided)
  • Budget (format provided)
  • Budget narrative (1-page max)
  • Resume of project leads (2-page max each)
  • Optional:  Document of collaboration with other partners (e.g., letters of support indicating collaboration only if appropriate)

The application templates are available for download:

Applicants should submit the completed proposal by email to niewolny@vt.edu no later than 5 PM on August 19, 2024. Or postmarked and mailed to:

VT Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation
282 Litton Reaves Hall (0343)
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061

Email submissions should be compiled and saved as one PDF file.

For accessibility and language assistance, please contact stephaniejzhu@vt.edu at least thirty  days prior to the deadline. 

Late and incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

After the deadline passes and applications are received, the project team and advisory group will assess applications based on criteria outlined in the full RFP. These include the correct target locality in Virginia, relevancy towards priorities and community needs, achievability, funding need, qualifications of applicants, and project management preparedness. Selected applications will then be reviewed by the USDA FSA. Applicants will be notified by October 1, 2024. The timeline is contingent on the USDA review process.  

Full Request for Proposal (RFP) 

Please read the Full RFP for all the details needed about the mini-grants and the application process. 

Full RFP (English)
Full RFP (Spanish)