Ocean Hour Farm

Grant Giving

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Are you looking to transition to regenerative land or sea management practices or have a project that could benefit our food and fiber shed?

 

Read on to learn more about Ocean Hour Farm’s grant giving program.

The current system that land and sea farmers are operating within was designed to favor industrial-scale agriculture and an input-heavy approach. This has left our local producers without the appropriate infrastructure and support to be economically viable. Solving this problem will require a systematic approach, with policy change being a key component and long-term goal. Ocean Hour Farm’s grant program supports small steps we can take now to build the resiliency of our land and sea farmers and get us closer to realizing a thriving food and fiber shed that can fully embrace a regenerative approach.

Ocean Hour Farm will accept applications from November 1, 2024, to January 31, 2025. Application review begins in February 2025.

 

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Funding Priorities

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT & TRANSITION MENTORING

For thousands of years, understanding how to work with the land has been passed down from generation to generation. This type of knowledge sharing is a key component of the successful return to regenerative land management and launching beginner farmers. Ocean Hour Farm supports farmers and other land stewards in acquiring the skills they need to design and maintain an operation that is both regenerative and economically viable.

Aligned projects could include ecological design support for new or transitioning farmers, land-based technical advising, community-led knowledge sharing, business operations support or land and sea workforce training programs.

COOPERATIVE MODELS FOR OUR FOOD & FIBER SYSTEMS

Despite the saying, “survival of the fittest,” the natural world has countless examples that point to cooperation as the key to abundance. When humans mimic this pattern, we build resilience and encourage a culture that is based on reciprocity rather than scarcity. Ocean Hour Farm supports implementing cooperative models that will support the economic viability of regenerative land and sea farming.

Aligned projects may include farmer cooperatives, integration of farmers into public and private land management, alternative economic models, farmer-focused service hubs, new reciprocal business partnerships or research to see if a new cooperative model may be viable.

CIRCULAR SYSTEMS FOR LAND & SEA FARMERS

Waste is a design flaw. In the majority of human-designed systems today, there is an output that is unused or underutilized – waste. If we mimic the cyclical nature of the environment, we can repurpose this waste to benefit land and sea farmers. Ocean Hour Farm supports projects that redirect waste or are designing a new system that is intentionally circular. Either would need to be related to or benefit regenerative land management or food and fiber systems.

Aligned projects may include a research study evaluating the potential use of a waste product or a pilot project utilizing a waste product to evaluate the impact or implementation of an agricultural-based system that is uniquely circular.

Important Dates

 

November 1, 2024 – January 31, 2025: Open call for applications  

 

February 2025: Grant applications are reviewed

 

Spring 2025: Selected grantees notified, grants processed, and funded

Eligibility

We prioritize projects that

  • Fill gaps in regenerative land management
  • Are led by or support BIPOC communities
  • Collect data or information that benefits stakeholders in our food and fiber shed
  • Grounded in either traditional ecological knowledge, western science, or both!
  • Collaborate with other entities or have direct participation by community members.
  • Benefit or utilize existing community infrastructure.
  • Will provide open-source data
  • Have measurable outcomes
  • Consider social, economic and environmental impacts
  • Stop waste or pollution before it is created
  • Demonstrate benefit to ocean health

We may fund

  • A range of tax statuses, you do not need to be a nonprofit; we encourage all to apply.
  • Projects jointly run by multiple organizations
  • The cost of supplies when part of training or project
  • Development, trial or creation of equipment that is not widely used or does not exist and supports the transition to regenerative agriculture

We may not fund

  • General funding or endowment funding requests
  • Food recovery
  • Beach cleanups or chemical waste mitigation
  • Large equipment purchases
  • Equipment that will increase only one farm or organization’s revenue
  • Food pantries or food security programs unless the sourcing is farm-based
Estimated 100 mile radius from Newport, RI

Food and Fiber Shed

Our goal is to fund projects that benefit our food and fiber shed. If your project can show that it benefits this region, whether or not you are outside of our 100-mile radius, you should still apply.

For reference, this region is:

Climate: Temperate Oceanic

Plant Hardiness Zone: 6 & 7

Precipitation: Annual rainfall around 54 inches per year

Sunlight: Approximately 15 hours during the summer solstice; 9 hours during the winter solstice

Chill Hours: ~2000

Apply Now

 

Still Have Questions?

 

Please read our FAQ. If you do not find an answer to your questions, please contact grants@oceanhourfarm.org.

Grant Awards

Typical grant awards range from $10,000 – $75,000, with an average grant size of $25,000. 

Grant Model

Ocean Hour Farm will utilize a Grants Advisory Committee as part of its grant review process. The group comprises community leaders who are directly engaged in our food and fiber shed and can offer valuable perspectives on proposed projects. Members include farmers, fisherfolk, food policy advocates, community-based organization leaders, composters, and beyond.