Source: RAFI-USA

As the impacts of COVID-19 continue to unfold day to day, RAFI-USA recognizes that farmers across the country are facing extreme difficulties. To help lessen the financial toll of this outbreak, RAFI-USA is distributing emergency relief grants in the amount of $500 for NC farmers who have seen drastic impacts to their business and household as a result of COVID-19. At this time we are only able to offer this funding to North Carolina farmers.

To see if you would be a good candidate for this funding and access the application, please read the following information.

Purpose of Funds: The mini-grant funding is $500 and is meant to lessen the immediate financial needs of farmers and their households. This means funds could cover expenses like food, medical bills, utility bills, etc. The funds are NOT meant to cover farm production expenses.

Eligibility: Currently we are only able to award funding to farmers in North Carolina. Depending on funding we may be able to expand this demographic range. If you are not in NC you can still fill out an inquiry form here in the event our funding increases.
Priority Applicants: Because available funds are limited, we will prioritize farmers who 1) are severely impacted by COVID-19 to the degree that they are struggling to cover ordinary expenses, 2) are not able to access other federally-funded emergency relief funds (i.e. PPP), and 3) earn a substantial portion of their household income from farming. Because RAFI-USA’s funds are limited, we ask that farmers carefully consider whether this emergency relief grant applies to their situation.

Application and Payment Process: The application for emergency relief funds is now live! There is an online survey (link below) or a word document version you can download, fill out, and email back to Craig at craig@rafiusa.org. Applications are due April 26th at 6pm. We expect to start distributing grant awards by early May.

Complete Online Application Here

Questions?
Contact Craig at craig@rafiusa.org if you have any questions about the grant, application, or eligibility.

COVID-19 Information and Resources
To view a daily updated list of resources and recommendations for farmers and impacted communities regarding the coronavirus, visit our webpage here.