Active Grants
These are the federal or state grants of interest currently open as of February 21, 2026. Links to program information are included, but feel free to reach out to KCARD at (859) 550-3972 or kcard@kcard.info for more information as well.
Deadline: February 1, 2026
Funding Amount: Up to $5,000 per application with a lifetime maximum of $10,000 per farm business
Eligible Uses: There are five priority categories:
Value-Added Enterprise
Certified Organic Agriculture
Agroforestry/Specialty Crops
Food Systems Resiliency
Emerging Agricultural Technologies
Eligibility:
A Kentucky-based farm with gross annual agricultural sales greater than $1,000 and below $250,000 in the previous two years.
Kentucky-based, formal, non-governmental organizations and cooperatives that serve multiple Kentucky farms or producers
Deadline: Letters of intent are due February 1, 2026
Funding Amount: up to $500,000
Eligibility: Permitted dairy businesses located in the Southeast who are seeking funds to undertake a project that will have far reaching direct impacts for many other dairy industry stakeholders
Eligible Uses: Funded projects must support at least one of SDBII’s goals: diversifying dairy product markets, expanding farmer income through processing and marketing innovation, and/or strengthening the use of regional milk supply. The application process begins with a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI), followed by an invitation-only full proposal.
Dairy Industry Impact Grant - Open | Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative
Deadline: February 15, 2026
Funding Amount: up to $100,000
Eligibility: Registered, for-profit businesses currently located in or willing to establish a presence in Kentucky, with an emphasis on startups and early-stage businesses. A portion of the program’s funding is allocated specifically for businesses in Lexington-Fayette County, Kentucky.
Eligible Uses: The Challenge Grant program supports ag-tech businesses by providing incentive funding and resources to help develop and market technologies with strong potential to impact food and agriculture in Kentucky and beyond. Projects must address a critical challenge facing Kentucky’s agricultural and food economy and improve profitability, sustainability, and/or resiliency.
Proposed projects must align with at least one of five focus areas: solutions for mid-size farming, sustainable food systems, food as health, future-proof animal protein, or support for Kentucky’s traditional agricultural industries, including distilled spirits, equine, and other key crop and livestock sectors.
Deadline: February 17, 2026
Funding Amount: Awards range from $1,000 to $5,000
Eligibility: Applicants must be U.S. military veterans, active-duty service members, or members of the Reserve/National Guard and be members of Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC). Eligible applicants must have an honorable discharge (or receive case-by-case approval), or provide a command support letter if currently serving.
The Fellowship Fund is open to for-profit agricultural businesses only. Applicants must have an operating ag business and submit a business plan as part of the application.
Eligible Uses: The Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund is a small grant program that provides direct assistance to veterans who are in their beginning years of farming or ranching. The Fellowship Fund does not give money directly to the veteran, but rather to third-party vendors for items the veteran has identified will make a crucial difference in the launch of their farm business.
Deadline: March 4, 2026
Funding Amount: $100,000 maximum award; 25% matching funds requirement
Eligibility: Dairy businesses that operate a licensed dairy farm in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, or Puerto Rico
Eligible Uses: This grant supports farm infrastructure improvements for Southeastern U.S. dairies that increase efficiency, sustainability, and competitiveness. Funding is intended for practical upgrades that improve labor, production, and marketing outcomes, with a clear explanation of how the investment will measurably benefit the operation.
Eligible projects may include improvements to cooling and heat stress management, milk storage and handling, milking and harvest efficiency, feed and forage management, animal housing, and water, waste, or manure management. While priority areas are outlined, other impactful projects may be considered if they demonstrate clear operational benefits.
Farm Infrastructure Improvement Grant - Open | Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative
Deadline: March 4, 2026
Funding Amount: $150,000 maximum award; 25% matching funds requirement
Eligibility: Dairy businesses that operate a licensed dairy farm in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, or Puerto Rico
Eligible Uses: This funding supports precision technologies and management strategies for Southeastern U.S. dairy farms that improve sustainability and competitiveness. Projects must show how the technology will enhance animal health and performance, labor efficiency, energy or environmental efficiency, or better use of the farm’s land base, with a clear justification for why the technology is needed.
Eligible projects may include wearable animal sensors, GPS-enabled equipment, automated and robotic systems, technology-driven feed and pasture management, cow comfort and heat abatement technologies, genomic testing, automated milking and milk-quality monitoring, and business management tools that improve financial and operational decision-making.
Precision Technology and Management Grant - Open | Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative
Deadline: March 15, 2026
Funding Amount: up to $2,000
Eligibility: Applicants must be a member of Kentucky Women In Agriculture (KWIA) for at least two full years and must have produced agricultural products for sale to the public with gross annual agricultural sales greater than $500 in the previous 2 years.
Eligible Uses: KWIA Grant funds are meant to support production agriculture expenses. Grant funds may not be used to purchase any of the following: motorized vehicle, labor costs, annual operating expenses (e.g., feed, seed, fertilizer, processing fees, jars, plants, etc.), and purchased products that are processed for resale.
Deadline: April 15, 2026
Funding Amount:
Planning Grants: Up to $50,000
Working Capital Grants: Up to $200,000
Eligibility:
Agricultural producers (including harvesters and steering committees)
Agricultural producer groups
Farmer- or rancher-cooperatives
Majority-controlled producer-based business ventures
Applicants must demonstrate that they:
Own and produce more than 50% of the raw commodity
Will retain greater revenue from the value-added product than from the raw commodity alone
Eligible Uses: The Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) helps farmers and agricultural producers turn raw commodities into higher-value products and reach new markets—ultimately increasing farm income. VAPG funds can be used for planning (like feasibility studies or business and marketing plans) or for working capital (such as processing, packaging, marketing, inventory, and eligible salary expenses) to support the production and sale of value-added agricultural products
Deadline: Quarterly
Funding Amount: Up to 15% reimbursement can be earned on eligible local food purchases.
Eligibility: Kentucky Proud restaurants, caterers, schools and other food service participants that source and support local farms
Deadline: Last Friday of each month
Eligibility: For profit entities/businesses and nonprofit entities
Eligible Uses: Projects must benefit multiple producers as an investment in Kentucky Agriculture