Service Provider & Producer Association Grants

The Service Provider & Producer Association Grant is offered through the State of Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Initiative. The program supports organizations that provide business support services to agricultural and forestry businesses and Vermont-based producer associations that represent and promote Vermont agriculture, food, beverage, forest, or fiber products. The grant is described as opening every fall. For the upcoming round, applications will open September 17, 2026 and close November 5, 2026 at 2:00 pm. The source cautions that exact eligibility requirements, grant amounts, and the application process are subject to change each year, and the detailed grant overview and eligibility information currently provided are samples from the most recent past round. Based on the sample past-round terms, service provider projects should deliver direct services to Vermont-based working lands businesses through technical assistance or other forms of support. Producer association projects may provide these services to their members. Supported services include market development, marketing plans, sales planning, business and financial planning, disaster preparedness for flooding or other crises, succession planning, access to capital, manufacturing efficiencies or process flow, business research and development, and workforce development. Producer association projects may instead or additionally support development of the association itself through leadership and organizational development, membership development, network building, and collaboration. Examples include strategic planning, leadership transition, board training, by-law development, staff recruitment or training, member recruitment, communications capacity, digital tools, member skill building, and collaboration among producer associations. The sample past-round funding information states that up to $370,000 is available to award. Grant amounts range from $10,000 to $75,000 for projects with workplans of 3 to 15 months and from $10,000 to $100,000 for projects with workplans of 24 to 30 months. No matching funds are required. Because these figures are explicitly identified as information from the most recent past round and the page states that grant amounts are subject to change each year, applicants should verify the award amounts and performance-period rules when the upcoming application materials are released. The past-round project dates shown on the page are March 1, 2026 through May 30, 2027 for 15-month projects and through August 30, 2028 for 30-month projects; these dates should not be treated as the upcoming round's performance period. Eligible applicant types described in the sample information are service providers and producer associations. Service providers are organizations providing business support services to agricultural and forestry businesses. Producer associations, also described as trade associations, industry trade groups, or business associations, are organizations founded and funded by businesses operating in a specific industry. Vermont-based producer associations representing and promoting Vermont agriculture, food, beverage, forest, or fiber products are eligible. Applicant businesses or organizations should be based in Vermont. Organizations headquartered outside Vermont may be eligible when the proposed project or service is 100 percent focused on Vermont's working landscape and businesses, and they are instructed to contact Elizabeth Sipple to discuss eligibility. All organizational structures are stated to be eligible. Previous Working Lands applicants and grantees may reapply, but current or previous grantees must explain whether the proposed project builds on previous work or is separate and demonstrate how continued funding will grow or improve the program. Services must be provided to a new cohort of businesses for each funding period. Applicants are instructed to review the full Request for Applications for complete project, applicant, and application requirements; register in WebGrants, which may take up to two business days; consult the Working Lands application frequently asked questions for resources and support; and complete the application through WebGrants using the Application Guide. An applicant webinar is expected within one to two weeks after the September 17, 2026 application opening, with the specific date to be posted when available. The webinar recording and slides are expected to be posted afterward. Registration in WebGrants is an administrative submission prerequisite rather than a pre-application competitive gating stage, and no letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, or other competitive pre-application deadline is stated in the supplied source. The application deadline is November 5, 2026 at 2:00 pm. Applicants are expected to be notified in early January 2027, with projects beginning in February or March 2027 and ending by June 2028 according to the upcoming timeline. The program contact is Elizabeth Sipple at elizabeth.sipple@vermont.gov or 802-917-1134. WebGrants technical assistance is available from Lily Bradburn at lily.bradburn@vermont.gov or 802-480-1652. The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative can also be reached at working.lands@vermont.gov or 802-917-2637. Because the grant is explicitly described as opening every fall, it is treated as a recurring annual opportunity, with September 2026 representing the currently announced next application opening.

Strong applications are backed by evidence of need, clear outcomes, a qualified team, and outreach plans. Producer associations must upload board and member support letters.