Applicants must be qualified Beginning Urban Farmers, which are defined as being farmers (either individuals or incorporated businesses) with the principal operator(s) having:<ul><li>Limited personal or business financial resources;</li><li>A food/fiber growing operation located in an urban community (i.e., must be geographically located within an incorporated municipality, or within the Baltimore or Washington beltways including the City of Baltimore);</li><li>Ten or fewer years of commercial farming experience – either in a for-profit or not-for-profit setting; and</li><li>No previous commercial agriculture loan history.</li></ul>Eligible business activities include the purchase of:<ul><li>Agricultural inputs and supplies such as seed, fertilizer, compost, and baskets;</li><li>Farm tools and equipment;</li><li>Greenhouses, high tunnels, refrigeration, and irrigation systems; and</li><li>Hired labor (at no more than 20% of the total eligible project cost).</li></ul>

Maryland Urban Agriculture Commercial Lending Incentive Grant Guide

Obtaining financing is difficult for most farmers, but particularly for urban farmers. A very small amount of equity capital can make a significant difference in helping these business owners to obtain bank financing (commercial loans).

MARBIDCO’s MUACLIG program addresses the finance needs of urban farmers. With the support of Farm Credit, MARBIDCO provides grant funds to incentivize the urban farmer to try to obtain commercial financing.

Grant

Maryland

Eligibility

Applicants must be qualified Beginning Urban Farmers, which are defined as being farmers (either individuals or incorporated businesses) with the principal operator(s) having:

Limited personal or business financial resources;
A food/fiber growing operation located in an urban community (i.e., must be geographically located within an incorporated municipality, or within the Baltimore or Washington beltways including the City of Baltimore);
Ten or fewer years of commercial farming experience – either in a for-profit or not-for-profit setting; and
No previous commercial agriculture loan history.

Eligible business activities include the purchase of:

Agricultural inputs and supplies such as seed, fertilizer, compost, and baskets;
Farm tools and equipment;
Greenhouses, high tunnels, refrigeration, and irrigation systems; and
Hired labor (at no more than 20% of the total eligible project cost).

Terms

Maximum Grant Amount: $10,000, calculated at no more than 20% of the project’s total cost and no more than 25% of the amount of the approved commercial loan for the project. (The minimum grant amount is $1,000 – with a commercial loan of $4,000, combines for a $5,000 project).

Application Instructions

Application

Applicants must verify in their application that commercial lender or Farm Service Agency loan proceeds are available to help complete the proposed farming project. Applicants that are awarded grants may not materially deviate from their approved business plans without approval from MARBIDCO and the participating commercial lender.

Mail completed applications to:

MARBIDCO Programs

1410 Forest Dr., Suite 21

Annapolis, MD 21403