FACT’s Fund-a-Farmer Grants are Now OPEN!
By Samantha Gasson, FACT’s Humane Farming Program Manager
As the weather cools forcing farmers in from the pasture earlier each evening into the artificial light (and warmth) of their homes, we at FACT have been hard at work getting our Fund-a-Farmer grants lined up and ready for humane farmers across the country as time outside turns into time inside catching up….unless they raise turkeys then they’ve still got a month to go!
In 2012 FACT opened its first Fund-a-Farmer grant cycle as a way to help farmers fund projects to improve the lives of their livestock and poultry. In that inaugural year, $12,000 was awarded to nine farms. Over the last 11 years, that pot of $12,000 a year has grown to $250,000 thanks to underwriters like ASPCA but the program’s real success comes from FACT’s generous donors like you.
Since that first year, FACT has awarded 608 grants to farmers across 44 states totaling over $1,110,000, improving the welfare of an estimated 978,000+ food animals.
In 2023 alone we distributed over $250,000 to 87 farms. Projects ranged from fencing out new pastures and cross-fencing existing pastures for extensive grazing projects to watering systems, mobile animal shelters, and even squeeze shoots for better cattle handling.
Last year 46 percent of the grants were made to farmers who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. 64 percent of the grant recipients are first-generation farmers, 17 percent identified as military veterans, 75 percent said they are beginning farmers or ranchers and a majority are women-owned operations.
So, if you know of a farmer who has a project in mind, whether it involves constructing cattle scratching stations, planting trees to improve access to shade, or maybe even purchasing equipment for fly control, send them to FACT and we will do all we can to make their humane farming project happen.
Photo credit: Grand View Beef and Double JB Farm