2024 FARM Fund Report
We are excited to share the 2024 FARM Fund Report!
The FARM Fund (Food, Agriculture, Relationships, Markets) was established in 2015 by the Orcas Co-Op. It is now a county-wide program that funds local projects that strengthen and develop regenerative, commercial agriculture in San Juan County while increasing the supply and availability of local food. The Ag Guild now manages the Fund with support from an Advisory Committee comprised of farmers, partners, and local food system leaders. Additionally, the fund is supported by the Ag Guild Board of Directors and staff.
In 2024, the FARM Fund awarded $19,144 in grants to eleven farmers across four islands (an average of $1,740 per farmer). Eight awardees are beginning farmers with less than ten years of experience and are having difficulty in raising capital to expand.
Projects funded in 2024 included propagation house improvements, field cultivation equipment, root cellar construction, deer fencing, solar water pump system, and compost facility improvements. Check out the full report here.
Why it matters?
San Juan County producers have cited the need for access to capital as a leading challenge across numerous recent studies. The FARM Fund addresses this challenge with small grants of upfront capital provided directly to local producers at the start of their growing season. The FARM Fund is one of the most direct ways you can support the San Juan County commercial farmers and growers – strengthening our food system. If you have the capacity and desire to support local agriculture and help our farmers succeed, please donate.
This year thirty applicants submitted grant proposals for $500 – $2,500, with a total of over $68,000.00 in requested funds. A seven-member committee ultimately chose to fund 19 high-impact projects that will regenerate our local ecosystem through agriculture and unlock new economic opportunities for island farmers. We distributed $39,476.24 in grants to support community-oriented agricultural production in San Juan County. We look forward to sharing a midway report on 2025 FARM Fund projects in the upcoming weeks.
Supported by people like you!
These grants were made possible by generous gifts from local community donors, the Pleiades Foundation, Orcas Food Cooperative, and the San Juan Island Cares Campaign.
The FARM Fund is actively seeking philanthropic gifts to fund future grant cycles to support our farming community. Giving to the Farm Fund is a great way to directly impact the farmers in our community! To learn more about the FARM Fund, please go to sjiagguild.com/farm-fund or email farmfund@sjiagguild.com.
