Grants

The primary goal of the UAIP projects is to support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production. The UAIP grants being made available for application under this NFO support planning and implementation activities. Planning activities will initiate, develop, or support the efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools, members of tribal communities, and other stakeholders in areas where access to fresh foods are limited or unavailable. Implementation activities will accelerate existing and emerging models of urban and/or innovative agricultural practices that serve multiple farmers or gardeners. Innovation may include new and emerging, as well as indigenous or non-traditional agricultural practices.

Grants can include Planning or Implementation activities:

Planning Activities
Planning activities may include:

• assessing community needs within the local food system;
• researching how food is grown, distributed, or marketed and/or recommending safe growing practices such as soil tests and environmental assessments.
• evaluating how urban agriculture and innovative production can address issues of food access, nutrition, education, conservation, and economic development.
• creating partnerships to improve growing, distributing and marketing of nutritious food;
• conducting business planning, feasibility studies, and other strategies, such as community resource development;
• developing local policy on zoning laws supporting urban agriculture and innovative production; and/or
• creating educational materials and programs that increase knowledge about food and agriculture and encourage careers in urban agriculture and innovative production;

Implementation Activities
Implementation activities may include:

• increasing food production
• promoting agricultural businesses
• providing mentoring, job training, and resources for underserved populations;
• implementing best practices to address food access, zoning, composting, land access, soil health;
• integrating emerging technologies, infrastructure needs (such as access to water and utilities);
• supporting community education about food systems, nutrition, agriculture production, and environment impact;
• operating community gardens or nonprofit farms that offer hands-on training in farming or gardening through virtual or web-based formats; and/or
• providing K-12 schools with educational resources or programs that increase student knowledge and access to locally grown foods.

For new users of Grants.gov, see Section D. of the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for information about steps required before applying via Grants.gov.

The Climate Change Investment Initiative (2c2i℠), launched by The Exelon Foundation and Exelon Corporation, concentrates on startups that will help mitigate or adapt to climate change (e.g. reducing GHG emissions, energy efficienty improvements, renewable energy, flood mitigation, stormwater management, etc.) in Atlantic City, Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC and Wilmington DE. The goal is for the start-up to begin and make as much progress around the Impact Project as possible in partnership with Exelon
within 12 months of receiving investment under 2c2i.

-- You can apply for the next 2C2I Cohort today by completing and submitting our application.

The Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Grant Program (UAI) provides funding in the form of a reimbursement grant to eligible applicants seeking to improve urban agriculture infrastructure in Pennsylvania. 

These grants will build out the infrastructure of urban agriculture by investing in the system, filling gaps, encouraging entities to work together, finding ways to bring operations to a greater scale, overcoming food deserts, and opening opportunities for people to become social entrepreneurs.

The Valley Creek Trustee Council, comprised of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the National Park Service, oversees a grant program to provide funding for restoration of the Valley Creek Watershed in Chester County, PA. The goal of this funding is to improve trout habitat and angler access through implementation of projects related to stormwater management, stream channel stabilization, establishment of greenways via easements or land purchase, increased public access to streams, and/or brook trout restoration in Crabby Creek. If you have questions, please contact the grant administrator Jeff Schmid at  jschmid@pa.gov.