What’s the hardest part of protecting farmland?
Finding the funding!
At least, in a typical year the hardest part is finding the funding. But 2019 is going to be a super special year.
The State of California recently announced $17 million in new grants for agricultural conservation projects. The grants are from the Agricultural Land Mitigation Program (ALMP), which provides funding for the purchase of agricultural conservation easements on farmland in only six specific counties. As an added bonus, unlike most other grants which provide only partial funding, ALMP will cover the entire value of the conservation easement.
These grants are special. And they are a one-time deal. The State has $17 million available to protect farmland, and we have to apply for it this year. That’s all, folks.
There are less than a handful of organizations that can qualify for these grants. And CFT is one of the very lucky, very few.
Our team is working night and day to secure as many of these new grants as is humanly possible. That means talking to as many farming families as we can. That means a lot of driving up and down the valley. That means visiting farms from Merced to Fresno and everywhere in between. That means drafting reports and documenting water sources. That means filling out a lot of detailed paperwork for grant applications.
Of course, doing all of that takes an up-front investment before we can get the grant.
So what does all of that mean for you? That means you have an incredible, one-time opportunity to give a gift that goes further than ever before. Your gift today will help secure as much of that $17 million as we possibly can. And if you’d like to make an even bigger impact through the year, you can become a monthly donor.
No matter how you give, your gift will help secure those grants and protect the farms that feed your family.
