Working Lands Enterprise Funding Opportunities are currently closed, but please check back in late summer of 2022 when information about Fiscal Year 2023 will be posted. The State of Vermont fiscal year runs from July 1 - June 30.
Working Lands Funding Opportunity Cycle
The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative (WLEI) offers funding opportunities to a variety of business structures encompassing forest, farm, and food enterprises. These include producer associations, farms, food cooperatives, business assistance provider organizations and more. The amount of funds available is determined each year through the state's annual budget cycle. The Working Lands Enterprise Board (WLEB) meets each summer to decide which funding opportunities to offer for the coming year based on available funds and needs across Vermont.
July: State of Vermont Legislature and the Governor pass the state budget and approve appropriation to the Working Land Enterprise Fund (WLEF) for upcoming fiscal year.
June-August: WLEB convenes their annual symposium to strategize funding prioritization.
August-September: Agency staff conduct outreach and webinars to provide guidance on the upcoming application process.
September-November: Request for Applications (RFAs) and Request for Proposals (RFPs) open and are typically posted 3-5 weeks prior to application deadline. A group of subject matter experts and thought partners carefully review each completed application and provide a slate of recommendations to the WLEB.
November-April: WLEB makes final award decisions. Applicants are notified by email in the order that RFAs were released and closed. Unsuccessful applicants receive feedback from the WLEB on their applications.
December-May: Agency staff work with awardees to finalize grant or contract agreements for awarded projects.
Working Lands Funding Opportunities
Visit these pages to further understand specific funding opportunities that were offered in FY22 and to access resources that can support your organization and application. Please note the same funding opportunities may not be available each year.
- Standard Business Grants
- Meat Slaughter and Processing Grants
- Supply Chain Impact Grants
- Market Level Infrastructure Impact Grants
- Producer Association Grants
- Service Provider Grants
- Service Provider Contracts
- Trade Show Assistance Grants