2024-2025 NC AgVentures Grant for Family Farms

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Welcome to NC AgVentures Farm Grant Application Portal 

The overall goal of this grant is to increase farm profits.

NC AgVentures is an NC State Extension program that provides cost-share grants to North Carolina family farm businesses, and local non-profit community organizations that work with family farms.  

Overview 

  • Maximum award is $8000 
  • The grant funds are taxable income
  • Grant recipients must provide at least 15% cost of the total project
  • Grant applicants must work with an Extension agent on their project proposal
  • If you are not working Cooperative Extension, you will find an office in each county.  Call and set a time to talk with a livestock or horticulture Agent about your grant project idea.
  • Deadline to apply is December 13th, at 6 PM
  • Submissions cap at 250 applications.

Only one application per farm

  • We understand there may be more than one business on a farm, but you can only submit one farm application per year.
  • Married couples or domestic partners with separate farm operations may submit only ONE application.

Who is Eligible?

Family Farms that are organized as a sole proprietorship, partnership, or family corporation that are located in one of the counties listed below

Non-profit community organizations such as livestock associations, farmers markets and Cooperative Extension that are working directly with family farms in the following counties are eligible to apply: 

Alamance, Alexander, Alleghany, Anson, Ashe, Cabarrus, Caswell, Catawba, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Forsyth,, Gaston, Granville,  Greene,  Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Iredell, Johnston, Lincoln, Martin,  Mecklenburg, Nash, Northampton, Orange, Person, Pitt, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Sampson, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Union, Vance, Wake,  Wayne, Wilson, Wilkes, Warren, Yadkin.   

Who is not eligible?

  • Grant recipients from 2023-2024 cycle must wait a year before they can submit another application.
  • Farms that received 3 or more grants from NC AgVentures are no longer eligible.
  • NC State Extension Agents, their spouses or partners are not eligible to apply for personal grants. Agents can write a Community Grant for the Extension office.
  • NC State Employees are not eligible to apply for personal grants.
  • For profit organizations are not eligible

Criteria for evaluating the applications 

  • Does the project proposal show a good potential for success? 
  • Does the grant proposal incorporate Extension Best Practices?
  • Will your project increase income relative to project cost? 
  • Will the project increase or maintain employment opportunities? 
  • Has the proposal been adequately researched and is well detailed?
  • Does the project plan include strategies to protect soil, water, crops and food products from contamination?
  •  Is the budget realistic? 
  • Does the applicant have the skills to complete the project? 
  • Does the project present a new direction or opportunity in the region? 
  • Will the project become self-supporting? 
  • Will other farmers in your region benefit from the project?  
  • Budget total for the project must be at least 15% higher than the requested award amount.

To Apply.

We suggest using Chrome or Fox browser 

You will be asked to create a login and password to set up your own account. Choose a unique password and save a copy of the login and password as you will need them to access your application.

If you have set-up an account in a previous year you may login with the same login and password

***On the first page of the application in the upper right corner you will see the words Invite Collaborators. Click on the message, and a new window will open. Put in your Extension agents email address. The Agent will receive an email with a link. 

Send a message or call your Agent to let them know you have started working on the application.  We suggest you arrange a time with your Agent to discuss the application while its draft form. The Agent will be able to use the link to see your application.

If you are not working with Cooperative Extension, you will find an office in each county.  Call and set a time to talk with a livestock or horticulture Agent about your grant project idea.

Grant Awards are competitive

The awards are based on a competitive process. (We had 175 applications submitted last year, and we had funds to award 65 grants.) The review committee will have a few weeks in January to review the applications. The awards are announced in late February. All applicants will receive a letter to let them know if they did or did not receive and award.


We use Submittable to accept and review our submissions.
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