Browse Ambrook’s collection of funding programs by Maryland Agriculture & Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO)

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

Maryland Agriculture & Resource-Based Industry Development Company

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.



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.

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).


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

Grant

Business Plan

Cash Rent

Refinancing

Transition

Feed

Fertilizer

Pest Management

Seed

Weeds

Waste & Manure Management

HVAC

Lighting

Repairs

Training

Succession

Historically Underserved

Inputs

Nutrient Management

Infrastructure

Conservation

Water Management

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
- An applicant should be sure to highlight in their applications how the utilization of their grant award would serve to increase the production and utilization of locally sourced wood fiber, improve business operations and efficiency, create/retain jobs, support the production of value-added products, and/or aid in serving new markets.
Applications from prior year grant recipients of the Maryland Wood Products Industry Equity Investment Program may be evaluated at a lower priority to first-time program applicants. 


Brian Cadden

MARBIDCO aims to help Maryland’s forestry businesses improve operations and efficiency, increase productivity and employment opportunities, and support new market development.

The WPIEI Program offers up to&#x2004;a 25% matching grant, up to the maximum amount allowed, for the purchase of equipment or facilities improvement. An ancillary objective of this program is to complement the financial services offered by private commercial lenders by leveraging funds to facilitate larger-scale projects that will enable industry growth. 

This program will help Maryland wood fiber harvesters, processors and manufacturers increase production and utilization of locally sourced wood fiber, improve business operations and efficiency, and pursue new market opportunities.



MARBIDCO aims to help Maryland’s forestry businesses improve operations and efficiency, increase productivity and employment opportunities, and support new market development.
The WPIEI Program offers up to a 25% matching grant, up to the maximum amount allowed, for the purchase of equipment or facilities improvement. An ancillary objective of this program is to complement the financial services offered by private commercial lenders by leveraging funds to facilitate larger-scale projects that will enable industry growth. 
This program will help Maryland wood fiber harvesters, processors and manufacturers increase production and utilization of locally sourced wood fiber, improve business operations and efficiency, and pursue new market opportunities.

- Tangible equipment purchases and facilities improvement costs.

- Commercial timber harvesters and primary or secondary wood products processors. Applicants can include sole proprietorships, partnerships, cooperatives, corporations, and LLCs. Grant funds and matching funds must be used for equipment and capital asset purchases that have a useful life of seven years or more.

Eligible Expenses: Grant funds and matching funds must be used for equipment projects and capital asset purchases that have a useful life of seven (7) years or more.  Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Wood processing equipment and facilities
- Sawmills
- Dry kilns 
- Skidders and in-wood chippers
- Primary and secondary wood processing equipment
- Optimization systems for maximizing fiber yield recovery
- Shavings, pellet mills, and sawdust dryers
- Other capital equipment that is designed specifically for use in the forest products industry


A payment that requires some percentage of matching contributions by the recipient.

Cost Share

Lumber

Trees

MARBIDCO will match up to 25% of the total project cost, with a maximum grant award not to exceed $50,000. All equipment purchases must be made (and facility improvement contracts let) by no later than March 31, 2025. (Please note that any equipment or capital asset purchases made before July 1, 2024, are ineligible.)

Competition for this grant funding is expected to be high and it is anticipated that eligible requests will exceed the amount of funds available to distribute in FY 2025 (which is estimated to be approximately $500,000). 

Read and complete the appropriate application form for either a Small-Scale Farmer Aggregation Project or a Public Sector Aggregation Project. 
Send completed applications and all attachments to:
MARBIDCO Local Farm Enterprise Food Aggregation Grant Program 
1410 Forest Drive, Suite 21
Annapolis, MD 21403
or email to skubofcik@marbidco.org.

Stacy Kubofcik

The purpose of the Certified Local Farm Enterprise Food Aggregation Grant Program is to demonstrate how the investment of funds can help to grow and strengthen Maryland’s local food system and to create opportunities for small farmers to sell products to&#x2004;wholesale and institutional markets. The grant funds will be used to fund projects that help small farmers aggregate their product to sell to institutional or wholesale buyer. Funds will be used to provide financial support to up to five small-scale farmer-led projects. See below for more information:

MARBIDCO offers two levels of grant funding for food aggregation projects:

1. **Small-Scale Farmer Aggregation Project** – A grant of between $25,000 and $100,000 is available. 

2. **Public Sector Aggregation Project** – A grant of between $150,000 and $400,000 is available. 



The purpose of the Certified Local Farm Enterprise Food Aggregation Grant Program is to demonstrate how the investment of funds can help to grow and strengthen Maryland’s local food system and to create opportunities for small farmers to sell products to wholesale and institutional markets. The grant funds will be used to fund projects that help small farmers aggregate their product to sell to institutional or wholesale buyer. Funds will be used to provide financial support to up to five small-scale farmer-led projects. See below for more information:
MARBIDCO offers two levels of grant funding for food aggregation projects:
1. Small-Scale Farmer Aggregation Project – A grant of between $25,000 and $100,000 is available. 
2. Public Sector Aggregation Project – A grant of between $150,000 and $400,000 is available. 

Small-Scale Farmer Aggregation Project
Applicants for the small-scale farmer aggregation grant must include at least four Certified Local Farm Enterprise farmers and applicants must provide at least a 20% match of private funds in the project. An example of a small-scale aggregation entity could include an agricultural marketing group (an LLC), or legally organized farm cooperative using the grant funds to purchase cold storage equipment or construct an indoor processing facility in order to better handle products moving to wholesale and institutional buyers.The applicant must provide evidence that it will be selling some quantity of product to a specific wholesale or institutional buyer. An example could be the public school system. This could be in the form of a contract or letter of commitment, which specifies it will purchase a certain amount of product
Public Sector Aggregation Project
Applicants for the larger scale aggregation grant will be a public entity (such as a county government, municipality, community college, university, county school system or rural regional council). The grant is for public projects that plan to be primarily aggregation centers for wholesale and institutional buyers. If the applicant is the buyer, it would need to provide a commitment to purchase from at least four Certified Local Farm Enterprise farmers and include what it plans to purchase and the amount of each product. If the applicant is facilitating the aggregation, it would need to provide evidence of that it will aggregate produce from at least four Certified Local Farm Enterprise farmers and provide a commitment from a wholesaler or institution to purchase from the aggregation center. The grant requires at least a 20% match of funds in the project. A project of this size might also require a partnership of multiple entities and funding sources.

Local Food

Farmers Market

Certification

Distribution

Diversification

Events

Trade Show

Stewardship

Certified Organic

Trade Relief

Food Systems

Send complete applications (below) to scriste@marbidco.org. Electronic submissions are encouraged.

Application Link 

Or mail to 
MARBIDCO – Livestock Proc. Equip. Grant 
c/o Sierra Criste 
1410 Forest Drive, Suite 21 
Annapolis, MD 21403

Sierra Criste

MARBIDCO has established the Maryland Livestock Processing Equipment Grant Program to help assist with the expansion of livestock processing capacity&#x2004;in Maryland. This program offers grants to eligible applicants to purchase livestock and meat processing equipment and/or upgrade facilities to help increase production in Maryland, with a particular focus on large animal and blue catfish processing. (Smaller scale poultry processing projects may also be eligible.)

MARBIDCO will contribute up to 50% towards the eligible costs, with a maximum grant award amount of $50,000 for USDA-inspected facility projects and maximum grant award amount of $30,000 for custom-exempt processing or mobile processing projects.



MARBIDCO has established the Maryland Livestock Processing Equipment Grant Program to help assist with the expansion of livestock processing capacity in Maryland. This program offers grants to eligible applicants to purchase livestock and meat processing equipment and/or upgrade facilities to help increase production in Maryland, with a particular focus on large animal and blue catfish processing. (Smaller scale poultry processing projects may also be eligible.)
MARBIDCO will contribute up to 50% towards the eligible costs, with a maximum grant award amount of $50,000 for USDA-inspected facility projects and maximum grant award amount of $30,000 for custom-exempt processing or mobile processing projects.

Eligible applicants include individuals and businesses who currently operate livestock and meat processing enterprises in Maryland, as well as those that can start such operations by no later than July 31, 2023. These applicants can include sole proprietorships, partnerships, cooperatives, corporations, or LLCs.
Eligible expenses: Grant funds (and matching funds paid by the applicant) must be used to purchase livestock and meat processing equipment for USDA-inspected facilities, custom-exempt or mobile processing projects. Livestock processing equipment items purchased prior to April 1, 2023, are not eligible to be reimbursed using these grant funds.

Livestock

Cattle

Pigs

Poultry

Sheep

Specialty Livestock

Beef Cattle

Dairy Cattle

Feeder Cattle

Slaughter Cattle

Calves

Heifers

Steers

Bulls

Barrows

Boars

Feeder Pigs

Hogs

Sows

Chickens

Cornish Hens

Ducks

Geese

Turkey

Ewes

Lambs

Rams

Alpacas

Beefalo

Bison

Buffalo

Caribou

Deer

Emus

Goats

Guinea Pigs

Llamas

Mink

Mohair

Ostrich

Pheasants

Quail

Rabbits

Reindeer

Water Buffalo

Beef Bottom Round

Beef Brisket

Beef Chuck Roast

Beef Eye Round

Beef Flank Steak

Beef Flat Iron Steak

Beef Heart

Beef Liver

Beef London Broil

Beef NY Strip Steak

Beef Oxtail

Beef Rib Steak

Beef Rump Roast

Beef Short Ribs

Beef Sirloin

Beef Sirloin Tip Roast

Beef Skirt Steak

Beef Soup Bones

Beef Stew Meat

Beef Tongue

Beef Top Round

Beef Whole Filet

Ground Beef

Broilers

Chicks

Fryers

Layers

Pullets

Roasters

Ducklings

Goslings

Poults

Toms

Ground Lamb

Lamb Chops

Lamb Heart

Lamb Leg

Lamb Liver

Lamb Shank

Lamb Shoulder

Lamb Stew Meat

Bison Calf

Bison Meat

Bucks

Nannies

Slaughter Goats

Public Health

Compliance

List of Maryland Agriculture & Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO) Funding Opportunities