Farmer to Farmer 2025

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, through its Gulf of America Division within Region 4, is offering funding under the Farmer-to-Farmer program to support collaborative efforts aimed at improving water quality and restoring natural habitats across the Gulf of America watershed. This initiative is part of the EPA’s broader Great Water Body program, which focuses on protecting and sustaining ecological health while supporting economic activity in the region. The funding opportunity is designed to address nutrient pollution and its downstream impacts, including hypoxia and degraded aquatic ecosystems, by working directly with agricultural stakeholders. The primary purpose of this grant program is to support projects that prevent, reduce, or eliminate nutrient pollution through regenerative farming practices and innovative technologies. The EPA emphasizes farmer-led solutions, recognizing farmers as key actors in reducing nonpoint source pollution. Projects must align with federal statutory authority under the Clean Water Act and support national initiatives focused on environmental restoration and agricultural sustainability. Activities must take place within the Gulf of America watershed or the United States contiguous zone in the Gulf. Funding is expected to support approximately 20 to 30 awards, with individual awards ranging between 1,500,000 and 2,500,000 dollars. Each funded project is expected to have a five-year performance period. The program supports four main focus areas: farmer-to-farmer mentorship, monitoring of regenerative farming benefits, development of innovative technologies, and habitat improvement for nutrient and soil management. Applicants must select a primary focus area and may identify secondary areas for consideration. Eligible applicants include Indian tribes, state and local governments, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations. For-profit entities, federal agencies, individuals, and certain nonprofit organizations engaged in lobbying are not eligible. Projects must meet several threshold criteria, including geographic eligibility, alignment with program priorities, submission of a detailed budget, and compliance with application requirements. Cost sharing is not required for this opportunity, and only federal funds should be included in the application budget. The application process requires submission through Grants.gov and includes several mandatory components such as the SF-424 forms, a detailed project narrative, a scientific data management plan, and supporting documentation. The project narrative is limited to 12 pages and must include a workplan, budget narrative, and clearly defined environmental outputs and outcomes. Applicants must also demonstrate how their project aligns with evaluation criteria, including project design, innovation, economic benefits, environmental impact, and organizational capacity. The application deadline is June 22, 2026, with anticipated selection notifications in September 2026 and award notifications in December 2026. The EPA provides a technical contact for inquiries and offers guidance materials such as recorded presentations and Q&A documents to support applicants. Projects selected for funding will be required to report quarterly on progress and outcomes and comply with federal reporting and administrative requirements throughout the grant period.

Align project with nutrient reduction priorities and clearly quantify environmental outputs and outcomes; demonstrate innovative technologies and economic benefits for farmers; ensure detailed and compliant budget narratives