National Young Farmers Coalition announces Next Generation Farmer Fund applications are open
Hudson, NY (October 28, 2026) — The National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers) is pleased to announce the opening of the Next Generation Farmer Fund grant program. The Next Generation Farmer Fund is a joint initiative between the National Young Farmers Coalition and Whole Foods Market, and these grants are specifically designed for farmers and ranchers 40 and under who are actively adopting climate-smart and more environmentally sustainable farming practices as they tackle the most pressing challenges facing American agriculture.
According to our last national survey, 86% of young farmers identify their practices as regenerative and 73% say they have experienced at least one climate impact on their farms in the past year. We know that young farmers are climate leaders, and that they need targeted financial support and technical assistance to grow their businesses.
"There is no mandate for young farmers to lead on climate, and very little support for their leadership when they show up. Yet we continue cover cropping, restoring water, and intentionally grazing, often at our own expense. What we’re missing is the capital to make those changes on our own timeline, before the next climate disaster forces us to. Young farmers told us our previous $5,000 grants helped but didn’t go far enough. In even tougher times, these grants are up to ten times larger because young farmers doing this work for our food system’s future shouldn’t have to finance it alone," said Michelle A.T. Hughes, Executive Director of the National Young Farmers Coalition.
"Supporting the next generation of farmers is an investment in the future of our food system, and it's a profound privilege to play a part in it," said Caitlin Leibert, Global Head of Sustainability at Amazon Worldwide Grocery. "These are the farmers utilizing climate-smart practices every day, and they deserve partners who show up for them. We're thrilled to open applications and begin welcoming farmers into the Next Generation Farmer Fund and to help build a more resilient food system alongside them."
In the roughly 15 years the National Young Farmers Coalition has been gathering feedback from beginning farmers across the country, access to financial resources has been a top challenge. From resources to buy land, build farm infrastructure, put up hoophouses, invest in soil health, plant trees, buy equipment, build fencing–it doesn’t just take skill, effort, and teamwork. Young farmers need access to capital.
That’s why Young Farmers is glad to be offering $10K-50K grants, including conservation technical assistance, directly to young farmers and ranchers across the country who engage in regenerative practices. Grants will support efforts to improve soil health, water quality and water conservation, biodiversity, energy efficiency, and other regenerative practices. Full grant application eligibility can be found on our website here, and applications are open through December 1, 2026. Awards will be announced in February 2027.
More info here>> https://youngfarmers.org/get-involved/next-generation-farmer-fund/
We’ve currently raised $452,100 toward our one million dollar goal, which will be matched up to $500,000 by Whole Foods Market through November 30. Contact donorsupport@youngfarmers.org to join us and help meet our $1M goal! We are so appreciative of the companies who have already pledged to the fund, which include: D'Ottavio Farms, Dole, Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co., FOND Regenerative, Harney & Sons, Lil Bucks, Lundberg Family Farms, MadeGood, MegaFood, Nature's Bakery (Proudly part of Mars), Oppy, Painterland Sisters, PepsiCo, Perdue Farms, Pluralize Capital, Prairie Farms, Rio Fresh, Treehouse Foods, UNFI Foundation, and the Whole Foods Market Foundation.
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