RISE Grant
Resilience in Small-scale Enterprises Grant
Applications Currently Closed
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Financial assistant for unexpected challenges
The recent severe storms across North Dakota were devastating to local farmers. Several local producers have lost greenhouses or received extensive damage to fencing and storage facilities. We know how difficult these unexpected costs can be, especially for smaller-scale producers that are not eligible for the same insurance coverage as larger operations. In response, FARRMS is offering a RISE grant to assist producers in recovering from these severe storms.
RISE Grants In Action
“We have not yet been able to purchase replacement fencing due to the cost, and this funding would help us restore this critical infrastructure and get our farm’s flocks back on track to fulfill 2025 customer orders.”
“This disruption has reduced our poultry production and impacted the fulfillment of our customer commitments. We are working to recover quickly and sustainably, but the damage has put key parts of our farm infrastructure out of commission and, consequently, limited our ability to replace the lost poultry.”
“This early-stage damage represents a significant unforeseen cost and a hurdle to our planned operational scale and efficiency. While we are fully committed to our farm's long-term success and will find a way to navigate these repairs, grant support would be instrumental in accelerating our recovery.”
Eligible Costs
The RISE Grant will cover infrastructure costs for producers who market their products locally that have received extensive damage due to the storms that occurred on Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21. Covered expenses include but are not limited to high tunnel frames and plastic, fencing materials, row covers, replacement seeds, and animal shelters. This grant does not pay for labor or costs related to decrease in sales due to damaged crops.
Application Requirements
This grant is intended for local producers in North Dakota and the Red River Valley. “Local producers” means those who are growing local food or agricultural products and marketing directly to consumers at farmers markets, through CSAs, on-farm sales, agritourism, farm-to-institution, farm-to-restaurant, or other direct sales. Applicants must live in North Dakota, or if they are in the Red River Valley but in Minnesota, they must market their products in North Dakota. Home gardeners who are not marketing their products are not eligible for this grant.
Grant Details & Reimbursement Process
This is a reimbursement grant. Grant awardees will submit receipts showing costs incurred for the repair or replacement of damaged infrastructure. Selected applicants will be reimbursed the total cost up to $500. Funds will be disbursed on a first come, first served basis until the total project fund of $5000 is exhausted. FARRMS reserves the right to partially fund a grant request or deny a grant request. Grant application will close on July 21, 2025.