Browse Ambrook’s collection of funding programs by California Certified Organic Farms (CCOF)

- Upcoming Application Cycles:
    - February 10 – March 7, 2025
- Current OTP grantees need not re-apply.
- The application is available in both English and Spanish.
- For more information, contact Larissa Hernandez at grants@ccof.org or (831) 346-6324.


Larissa Hernandez

When farmers transition their land from conventional to organic, they have to wait three years before achieving certification and selling their products as organic. During this three-year period, farmers are learning new farming techniques, creating new systems for their business, and generating new markets for their soon-to-be-organic products, all while cultivating products that are not yet able to earn certified organic premiums.

Organic Transition grants provide financial support to farmers who want&#x2004;to shift into to organic production. These grants and technical assistance are available to farmers and ranchers in California who are interested in transitioning to organic production.

Program participants receive grants, mentorship, and technical support in agronomy, business and financial literacy, marketing, and market development over a three-year period.

**Grant Amount: **$10,000 per year for three years, for a total of $30,000.

There may be the opportunity for eligible transitioning farmers to qualify for an additional $1,000/transitioning acre up to 30 acres for soil building practices.



When farmers transition their land from conventional to organic, they have to wait three years before achieving certification and selling their products as organic. During this three-year period, farmers are learning new farming techniques, creating new systems for their business, and generating new markets for their soon-to-be-organic products, all while cultivating products that are not yet able to earn certified organic premiums.
Organic Transition grants provide financial support to farmers who want to shift into to organic production. These grants and technical assistance are available to farmers and ranchers in California who are interested in transitioning to organic production.
Program participants receive grants, mentorship, and technical support in agronomy, business and financial literacy, marketing, and market development over a three-year period.
Grant Amount: $10,000 per year for three years, for a total of $30,000.
There may be the opportunity for eligible transitioning farmers to qualify for an additional $1,000/transitioning acre up to 30 acres for soil building practices.

Organic Transition grant applicants must:

- Be farming or ranching in California (and must reside in California)
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Already be practicing regenerative organic production methods
- Provide written documentation of landowner’s approval to transition if renting/leasing
- Have a business plan, marketing plan (for after certification), and/or an Organic Systems Plan for transitioning to certified organic production and/or be in the process of completing these plans
- Demonstrate financial need
- Submit supporting financial documentation (i.e. Profit and Loss Statements from current and previous years)
- Have a minimum of five years of agricultural production experience
- Have at least two years of running or owning a farming or ranching business and/or equivalent experience
- Be willing to conduct an interview as part of the application process
- Submit a Letter of Reference with your application
- Submit a yearly report and a final report at the end of the grant period
Producers of all crop and livestock eligible for organic certification are encouraged to apply.
Applicants from underserved and socially disadvantaged communities, as well as small and medium sized farms and ranches, will be prioritized.  

A lump sum of money for a specific purpose that does not need to be paid back.

Grant

Certification

Marketing

Conservation

Research

Compliance

Grantees will be required to track and retain all records of grant funding expenditures;

Grantees will be required to cooperate with the CCOF Foundation to provide information related, but not limited to certification, acreage, crops, land mapping, and organic transition plans.
Allowable Costs:
- Organic livestock, poultry, and related expenses, such as animal health management required by organic standards;
- Organic feed;
- Educational materials, training on organic certification and production, or meeting attendance, in addition to services offered by CCOF;
- Inspection and certification fees;
- On-farm water or soil testing fees;
- Outside consultant fees if desired, as for development of an Organic System Plan (OSP);
- Farming supplies to be applied to organic farming on the transitioning acres, such as organic-approved plastic mulch;
- Farm equipment and repair to that equipment, where equipment is specific or widely preferred for organic farming of the type expected to occur on the transitioning acres. Qualifying equipment must be drawn from the following list, or authorized by CDFA:
    - Compost production, storage or spreading installations and equipment;
    - Weed management tools such as flamers or tines, tarps, row cover;
    - Transplanting or direct seeding equipment;
    - Intercropping equipment and modifications;
    - IPM-aligned equipment;
    - Other cover-cropping equipment;
- On-farm processing and distribution equipment (e.g., peelers, coolers, produce washing, sorting and sizing bins, refrigerated vehicles for transporting whole or minimally processed food) where it is applicable to the products expected from transitioning acres.
Unallowable Costs: 
- Property or land rent or lease;
- Taxes;
- Owner or employee labor;
- Inputs for land outside the defined transitioning field(s), or for animals not dependent on the transitioning field(s).


To Apply: Applications must be completed online. Click this link to begin your application. Applications must be filled out completely, including financial documentation, to be eligible for consideration. The application is available in both English and Spanish.

Accepting applications for farmers and ranchers in California who have been affected by the drought.
Community is at the heart of the CCOF Foundation and we’re here to support you. If you have questions or need assistance completing your application, please reach out to grants@ccof.org or 831-824-6123. Se habla español.

The Bricmont Hardship Assistance Fund gives direct financial disaster assistance for drought from $5,000 – $20,000 to&#x2004;organic farmers and processors.

CCOF has partnered with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to administer drought relief grants through the [California Small and Underserved Producer Program](https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/cusp/). These are reimbursement grants for expenses incurred as a result of drought.

_Drought relief funding is open to organic producers in California._ Funding is prioritized for small and medium scale operations and for underserved and socially disadvantaged communities as per the [CDFA’s Farmer Equity Report](https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/farmerresources/pdfs/2020FarmerEquityReport.pdf).

Grant amounts range between $5,000 to $20,000.



The Bricmont Hardship Assistance Fund gives direct financial disaster assistance for drought from $5,000 – $20,000 to organic farmers and processors.
CCOF has partnered with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to administer drought relief grants through the California Small and Underserved Producer Program. These are reimbursement grants for expenses incurred as a result of drought.
Drought relief funding is open to organic producers in California. Funding is prioritized for small and medium scale operations and for underserved and socially disadvantaged communities as per the CDFA’s Farmer Equity Report.
Grant amounts range between $5,000 to $20,000.

Drought Relief applicant requirements:

- Be a certified organic operation with a valid organic certificate from any third-party USDA-accredited certifier (CDFA registration alone is not sufficient).
- Must be an organic farming or ranching business in California
- Submit a complete and detailed description of hardship endured
- Submit supporting financial documentation of economic loss (Ex: Profit and Loss Statements)
- Grant funds cannot be used for organic certification fees
- Submit a final progress report six months after grant is awarded (for grant recipients only)


Organic Crops

Coronavirus

Fencing

Trade Relief

Trees

Wildfire

Drought

Flood

Hurricane

Tornado

Weather

Emergency

Disaster Relief

Timeline and Details:

- Applications must be completed online
    - Click here to access the application
    - Click here to review a sample application
- Applications accepted year-round with no deadline
    - Awards granted on a rolling basis
- Grants are reviewed as first come, first served for fully complete applications
- Once applications are initiated, they should be completed within 6 weeks
    - If not submitted in the 6 week timeframe, applications will be abandoned
- Submitted applications missing required documentation will be followed up with once, then denied if documents are not received
- Funds are provided as direct assistance
    - Grant amounts range from $5,000 – $20,000
Examples of covered expenses can include but are not limited to:
- Increased electric utility bills of 50% or more due to increased electricity rates.
- Surface water costs if increase from year prior.
- Cost of hauling water for livestock.
- Lowering ag well pumps if a primary source of water is lost.
- Emergency upgrades to irrigation system (paired with conservation) if not covered through CDFA OEFI programs or USDA programs and for other emergency scenarios.
- Decreased crop yields/crop loss due to less water available or having to fallow land.
- Drilling of new wells or repairs on existing wells if they are the sole source of water for operation. To be eligible, an applicant must provide written verification from a Groundwater Sustainability Agency managing the basin or area of the basin where the well is located or proposed to be located approving the action, per Executive Order N-7-22.
NOT Covered:
- Upgrading to a larger pump that will draw more water
Producers are eligible for a maximum of $20,000 per 12-month period through CDFA CUSP funding. Only California organic producers are eligible for CDFA CUSP Drought Relief funding.

- Upcoming Application Cycles:
    - March 17 – April 18, 2025
Contact the funding contact for more information. 


Future Organic Farmer grants provide $5,000 scholarships to vocational and higher education students in the United States pursuing degrees or certificates in organic agriculture.


**About the Grant**

- Prior grantees are welcome to re-apply.

- Applications require a letter of reference from a teacher, mentor, or agricultural professional

- Funds can be used for the following purposes: tuition, educational materials or resources, internships or work experience expenses, costs directly associated with your organic studies/career development

- Grant funds cannot be used for organic certification fees




Future Organic Farmer grants provide $5,000 scholarships to vocational and higher education students in the United States pursuing degrees or certificates in organic agriculture.

About the Grant
- Prior grantees are welcome to re-apply.
- Applications require a letter of reference from a teacher, mentor, or agricultural professional
- Funds can be used for the following purposes: tuition, educational materials or resources, internships or work experience expenses, costs directly associated with your organic studies/career development
- Grant funds cannot be used for organic certification fees


Future Organic Farmer grant applicants must:
- Be enrolled in an educational program in the United States that will benefit their career in organic agriculture, including vocational training/certificate programs or two/four-year degrees
- Demonstrate financial need
- Demonstrate a strong interest and commitment to a career in organic agriculture
- Submit a final report at the end of the award year
- Graduate degrees/programs are not eligible for funding


Stewardship

- Prior grantees are welcome to re-apply.
- Funds can be used for the following purposes: tuition, educational materials or resources, internships or work experience expenses, costs directly associated with your organic studies/career development 
- Grant funds cannot be used for organic certification fees

Application must be completed online at https://bit.ly/CCOF-GRANT.

The Organic Transition program gives $10,000 grants to farmers transitioning their land to organic production. 

When farmers transition their land from conventional to organic, they have to wait three years before achieving certification and selling their products as organic. This&#x2004;three-year period is incredibly risky for farmers—they’re learning new farming techniques, creating new systems for their business, and cultivating a new market for their soon-to-be-organic products, all while growing food without earning the price premiums afforded to certified organic goods. Organic Transition grants eliminate the financial barrier for farmers who want to make the leap to organic production. 

Program participants receive grants, mentorship, and technical support in agronomy, business and financial literacy, marketing, and market development over a three-year period. 



The Organic Transition program gives $10,000 grants to farmers transitioning their land to organic production. 
When farmers transition their land from conventional to organic, they have to wait three years before achieving certification and selling their products as organic. This three-year period is incredibly risky for farmers—they’re learning new farming techniques, creating new systems for their business, and cultivating a new market for their soon-to-be-organic products, all while growing food without earning the price premiums afforded to certified organic goods. Organic Transition grants eliminate the financial barrier for farmers who want to make the leap to organic production. 
Program participants receive grants, mentorship, and technical support in agronomy, business and financial literacy, marketing, and market development over a three-year period. 

- Be farming or ranching on the California Central & Southern Coasts and Central Valley (Santa Cruz, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Colusa, Glenn, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare, Yolo, and Yuba Counties)
- Already be practicing organic production methods
- Have a business plan for transitioning to certified organic production or have identified a means to develop a plan for how they will transition or expand organic acreage on their farm or ranch
- Demonstrate financial need
- Reside and farm/ranch in the United States (this includes U.S. territories)
- Have a minimum of five years of agricultural production experience
- Have at least two years of running or owning their business and/or equivalent experience
- Be willing to conduct an interview as part of the application process
- Submit a Letter of Reference with your application 
- Submit a yearly report and a final report at the end of the grant period

List of California Certified Organic Farms (CCOF) Funding Opportunities