Partnerships
Joining forces to expand our footprint and services.
National
Foodshed Capital supports the Rodale Institute Farmer Training (RIFT) program for emerging regenerative farmers through presentations to the students and fellows as they build up their financial literacy and business planning skills, and through operational financing to RIFT graduates.
Foodshed Capital is partnering with American Farmland Trust through their Regenerate Virginia program, a collaborative effort to advance regenerative practices, protect farmland, and support the people and communities who feed and fuel the Commonwealth. AFT has sub-awarded grant funding to Foodshed Capital to support farmers in Virginia in covering the cost of accounting software, with the goal of boosting their business viability and long-term success. FoodCap staff are also served on an advisory committee to guide the creation and distribution of farmer business development grants through the forthcoming Regenerate Virginia grant program.
Foodshed Capital supports farmer participants of The Conservation Fund's Working Farms Fund, an effort to catalyze a new and diverse generation of farmers who aim to expand regenerative food production, while permanently protecting significant farmland in critical locations across the US. Through a buy-protect-sell approach, The Conservation Fund is helping farmers access affordable farmland while providing additional connections to markets and service providers. They came to Foodshed Capital seeking a values-aligned lender who could consistently support the unconventional farmers in their program with their capital needs. We have since underwritten several loans to TCF partner farmers in the Atlanta and Chicago metro areas, with growth in these regions on deck in the coming months.
Regional
Founded in 1955, ANCA is a non-profit organization working to build dynamic local economies that sustain thriving communities throughout New York's North Country. ANCA worked with FoodCap to develop their "SOIL Loan Fund" with the goal of supporting North Country food producers who have difficulty accessing financing through conventional loan programs. Through collaborative funding with regional banks, philanthropy, and crowd sourcing, FoodCap supports ANCA farmers with 0% interest financing.
Foodshed Capital supports Croatan's FinHealth program, a place-based, individualized approach to addressing the financial resilience and long-term success of minority farmers and landowners, through workshop facilitation around farm funding opportunities. We have also helped build out Croatan's Soil Wealth program, a group of place-based partners, funders, investors, farmers, rural development and community organizations, and technical advisors. Through specific partnership with Croatan and Rural Beacon Initiative, FoodCap provided catalytic bridge funding to support land ownership in economically distressed eastern North Carolina.
This Chesapeake-based organization serves West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and DC and works to advance agriculture that sustains farmers, communities, and the environment. FoodCap provides periodic facilitated trainings around farm funding opportunities to Future Harvest's Beginning Farmer Training Program. We have also supported multiple farmers in the Future Harvest network with their capital needs over the years.
Foodshed Capital supports Grow NYC's La Nueva Siembra program, a comprehensive business planning course for beginning immigrant farmers, through facilitated Spanish-language training around farm funding opportunities. In 2024, Grow NYC will support our team with the development of a loan application and closing documents in Spanish.
Foodshed Capital works extensively with this Pennsylvania-based organization in providing direct business support to farmers in our pipeline, from basic financial literacy to deep forensic bookkeeping. We have co-facilitated bookkeeping workshops, and also provided over $100,000 in bridge funding to farmers participating in the Pennsylvania Farm Vitality Planning Grant Program to cover the costs of business development planning with KTC.