Apply for the Sustainable Agriculture Program

Applications for the 2025 grant program are open from 12:00 am on April 21, 2025 and close at 11:59 pm on May 23, 2025. Applications received outside of the application window will not be considered or reviewed.
 

Please note, for this funding allocation only, all projects must occur with in the EPA’s Most Effective Basins (MEBs) regions. Please refer to the eligible counties below to ensure your proposed project is located in an eligible county or eligible portion of a county. Additionally, projects must address the reduction of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution. Projects located outside of the MEB regions will not be considered or reviewed.

• Eligible Counties include:
  • Entire County Eligibility
    • Adams, Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, and Union.
  • Partial County Eligibility (To verify eligibility, please use the map to verify your project site is located in the highlighted area of the county).
    • Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Cambria, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Chester, Clearfield, Elk, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Luzerne, Potter, Schuylkill, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, Wyoming, and York
• Map of MEB Regions
   

The PA Sustainable Agriculture Program was established through the Sustainable Agriculture Act, Act of December 12, 1994, P.L. 891, No. 129 (3 P.S. §§ 2101 – 2117). 

It is the intent of the General Assembly to offer reimbursement grants to promote and support sustainable agriculture in this Commonwealth, provide the farmer the greatest return on their investments by reducing operating expenses, enhancing the value of end products, ensuring water and soil quality for future generations, and by reducing the reliance on off-farm inputs.
 

• That the applicant is a resident of this Commonwealth, that its principal operating or managing members or shareholders, in the case of either a family farm partnership or a family farm corporation, are Commonwealth residents or show sufficient evidence that they intend to become a resident or residents or that they are a nonprofit educational institution operating within this Commonwealth.
  • The applicant will use the grant funds for an eligible project.
  • The farmland or farm enterprise for which the grant is acquired is located in this Commonwealth

• Family farm corporation
  • A corporation formed for the purpose of farming in which the majority of the voting stock is held by and the majority of the stockholders are natural persons or their spouses or other persons related to the natural persons or their spouses and at least one of the majority stockholders is residing on or actively operating or managing the farm and none of the stockholders of which are corporations.

• Family farm partnership
  • A general partnership entered into for the purpose of farming, having no more than three unrelated members and having at least one member residing on or actively operating or managing the farm.

• Farm enterprise
  • A natural person, family farm corporation, family farm partnership engaged in farming or a corporate farm or nonprofit educational organization.

• Nonprofit Educational Institution 
  • Any State-owned or State-related college or university in this Commonwealth or any nonprofit organization, association or group in this Commonwealth which:
    • (1) has demonstrated a capacity to conduct agricultural research or education programs;
    • (2) has experience in research or education in sustainable agricultural practices; and
    • (3) qualifies as a nonprofit organization under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Public Law 99-514, 26 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.).
       

Please review the Sustainable Agriculture Resource Guide for a detial guide for eligible activities and equipment. 

To be eligible for funding, a project must do one or more of the following:

1. Reduce operating expenses through practices that are ecologically beneficial.
2. Improve soil quality and fertility.
3. Improve water quality.
4. Reduce or eliminate the need for the purchase of off-farm inputs, such as chemical or synthetic fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides.

• Online Applications Only. An application for a grant under the Program shall be submitted through the Commonwealth's Single Application for Assistance online application system at https://grants.pa.gov.
• Application Window. Applications must be submitted through the Single Application for Assistance online application system between April 21, 2025, and May 23, 2025. Applications received outside of that application window will not be considered or reviewed.
• Application Requirements. An application for a grant under the Program shall contain the following information:
  • The applicant's name, business address, and contact information.
  • A statement as to whether the applicant seeks a sustainable agriculture grant or an alternative crop grant. 
  • The details of the project for which reimbursement grant money is sought, including the following:
    • A project narrative
    • A project budget.
    • An addendum that will cover:
      •  Alignment with the intent of the Program.
      • Metrics for tracking success.
      • An itemized budget.
      • Additional project details.