Finding Funds for Farms & Food Access

Tompkins Food Future to Offer New Program: Finding Funds for Farms & Food Access

Are you part of a food system or farming entity in Tompkins County seeking additional resources for your business, organization, or project? Struggling to navigate the myriad of grants and resources available for food and farming work? Join us for a FREE series of skill building workshops and coaching sessions. Register here.

We are excited to announce a FREE series of skill-building workshops and coaching sessions designed to support food and farm-related entities in accessing the funds they need. These sessions, generously funded by the Tompkins County Legislature through Cornell Cooperative Extension, provide hands-on training, new tools, and opportunities to connect with potential collaborators. Work directly with grant writing and fundraising consultant Brit Campese of Vision Driven Consulting.

Workshop Schedule

Friday, September 27
Food System & Farm Fundraising
Discover how to align your project’s financial goals with diverse fund-seeking strategies.

Wednesday, October 16
Part I: Grant Writing for Food Systems
Learn where to find grant opportunities, connect your work with funders’ priorities, and craft a competitive application.

Friday, November 8
Part II: Grant Writing for Food Systems
We’ll write a grant application together—from start to finish—utilizing actual funding opportunities.

Workshops will be held in-person at the Tompkins County Public Library, Borg Warner Room, from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM, lunch served 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM. Registration is required. Content in later sessions builds on previous sessions. Attendance at all three workshops is not required. Contact us if you need childcare support, transportation, or language translation or interpretation services.

Coaching Sessions

Tailored to meet the individual needs and goals of small groups and individuals, coaching sessions will be available by appointment from September to December 2024. These personalized sessions focus on your choice of topics, including grant research, grant editing, budget development, technical application assistance, crowdfunding, and individual donor development.

Eligibility

Fundraising support and coaching are available to nonprofits, farm and food-related businesses, and fiscally sponsored projects that advance the goals in the Tompkins County Food System Plan. Priority will be given to organizations that:

• Have annual budgets under $250K
• Operate in rural or less populated towns and villages
• Do not currently have paid grant writers or development staff
• Feature leadership that reflects the communities they serve
• Are majority-led by individuals who are Black, African American, and/or of African descent; Immigrants, Indigenous, and/or People of Color

How to Register

Please register for workshops and coaching sessions here. For more information, call Cornell Cooperative Extension at 607-272-2292 or email kh788@cornell.edu.

Last updated September 18, 2024