Slow Food St. Louis is offering grant money to support biodiversity in the St. Louis food system. The grants will be made available to farmers and producers for growing heirloom varieties and/or raising heritage breeds. Multiple grants are available up to the amount of $500 and typically between the amounts of $200 to $500, however, the grant committee reserves the right to offer funding above this amount.
Heirloom varieties are defined as a horticultural variety that has survived for several generations and is not used in large-scale agriculture. Many varieties are listed with the Slow Food Ark of Taste, Seed Savers and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Heritage breeds are traditional livestock breeds that date back several generations, before the drastic reduction of breed variety caused by the rise of industrial agriculture.
Grant Application Information
Please fill out the attached application questions and follow the submission instructions at the end of this form. Applicants will be selected annually and can only be selected to participate once per year. However, we would like to emphasize that applicants awarded previous funding are eligible to apply again the following year. Selection priority will be given to applications that:
- have clear identifiable goals supporting biodiversity.
- introduce a new product into the St. Louis market that will be sold at a farmers market, CSA, grocer, or restaurant.
- include the goal of creating a niche market for the farmer/producer (applicant).
- will maintain these varieties and breeds using sustainable farming methods.
Eligibility
We welcome applications from current farmers, producers, individuals interested in getting into farming, those with experience in heirloom and heritage as well as those without. Applicants who have received grant funding from any source in excess of $10,000 in the prior two years are not eligible.
Application Deadline
We are currently accepting applications for 2010. While we will continue to accept applications throughout the year, we will be making decisions on grant awards at the end of February, 2010. To be considered for this timeframe please have your application in by February 15, 2010. The application for 2010 Micro-Grants has been extended until Friday, February 19.
Micro-Grant Applications
Download Word Document of the Grant Application
Download PDF of the Grant Application
