Funding scan | Updated June 5, 2026
A practical grant dashboard built around the assets Courtney already has: land, veteran-owned and woman-owned farm leadership, community compost plans, school and community gardens, food recovery partners, youth education, and North State environmental relationships.
Best first moves
New Two Farms lead lane: highest fit. Use the four-site compost hub plan, Mission/Jordan Crossing/restaurant/household food scrap supply, gardens, education, and compost sales model.
LOIs rolling; priority deadline May 31, 2026; full applications due July 2, 2026.
New Two Farms or coalition lane: market access, CSA/direct sales, farm-to-institution, food hub coordination, compost-supported production, and local food enterprise growth.
FY26 applications due June 5, 2026. If too late this cycle, use the workplan as the 2027 backbone.
Farm infrastructure lane: irrigation, compost application, soil health practices, cover crops, habitat plantings, water efficiency, high tunnels, and conservation planning.
FY26 EQIP batching deadline passed Jan. 15, 2026; applications are accepted year-round for the next batching cycle.
BEC or nonprofit partner lane: environmental justice, grassroots education, food systems, climate justice, community health, native habitat, and local stewardship.
Rose deadlines include June 18, 2026 and later 2026 cycles; Clif has an Aug. 1, 2026 deadline.
Youth program lane: school gardens, field trips to New Two Farms, taste tests, local sourcing, compost education, youth workforce, and nutrition behavior change.
FY26 Farm to School closed Dec. 5, 2025; next cycle should be tracked. Whole Kids/KidsGardening are recurring smaller garden targets.
How to package Courtney
Lead with land, regenerative production, service-disabled veteran and woman ownership, community compost, garden creation, food recovery, and a practical sales pathway from packets to bulk compost.
Frame farm and compost work as paid skill-building, mentoring, diversion, nutrition education, outdoor learning, and a visible alternative to idle time or justice-system contact.
Use BEC for environmental education, community engagement, grassroots advocacy, climate resilience, native planting, waste reduction, and public-facing stewardship.
Jordan Crossing, Wynn Memorial, The Mission, Mechoopda partnership, restaurants, households, and schools turn the farm plan into a real community network instead of a standalone project.
Eligibility reality check
Use these when the program accepts producers, agricultural businesses, farmers, or rural small businesses. Strong examples: NRCS EQIP/CSP, NRCS Regenerative Pilot, FSA farm loans/microloans, Farmer Veteran Coalition Fellowship, American Farmland Trust Brighter Future Fund, some USDA market/value-added tracks if the business structure fits.
Use these when the eligible applicant must be a nonprofit, school, public agency, tribe, college, RCD, or community-based organization. Courtney should be written in as the farm site, compost operator, youth training site, food-system partner, or demonstration producer.
Some cycles are closed, not yet released, or are financing and technical-assistance tools rather than grants. Keep them in the dashboard because they shape the funding stack, but do not treat them as immediate grant applications.
Ranked opportunity matrix
| Rank | Opportunity | Fit | Status / deadline | Best lead | Angle to use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CACC Community Composting for Green Spaces CCG-5 | Excellent | LOIs rolling; full application due July 2, 2026. | New Two Farms with compost-site partners. | Four compost stations, food-scrap rescue, community gardens, Mechoopda/Wynn/Jordan Crossing sites, youth education, and compost access for low-income gardens. |
| 2 | CalRecycle Community Composting for Green Spaces | Excellent | State program page; CCG-5 administered through CACC. | Eligible nonprofit/public/tribal/education partner or CACC pathway. | Anchor the proposal in greenhouse gas reduction, green spaces, disadvantaged/low-income communities, compost for fresh produce, and organic waste diversion. |
| 3 | USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program | Excellent but urgent | FY26 due June 5, 2026. | New Two Farms, farm network, CSA/market partner, nonprofit partner. | Direct-to-consumer sales, CSA expansion, farm stand, community-supported compost and produce bundles, outreach to veterans and underserved local buyers. |
| 4 | USDA Local Food Promotion Program | Excellent but urgent | FY26 due June 5, 2026. | New Two Farms or local food enterprise coalition. | Aggregation, processing, distribution, restaurants, The Mission, school/youth food channels, compost-supported production, and local food enterprise planning. |
| 5 | USDA Regional Food System Partnerships | Very high, coalition-only | FY26 due June 5, 2026. | Partnership with farm, nonprofit, school, service, and local government actors. | North State circular food system: recover organics, produce compost, grow food, train youth, feed vulnerable residents, sell locally. |
| 6 | Western SARE Farmer/Rancher or Professional + Producer | Very high for next cycle | Most producer tracks closed Nov. 20, 2025; Research & Education pre-proposals due June 15, 2026. | Courtney as producer, or advisor-led with Courtney as producer partner. | On-farm trial: community compost impacts on soil, yields, water retention, crop quality, and local training adoption. |
| 7 | USDA NRCS EQIP California | Very high | FY26 batching deadline was Jan. 15, 2026; apply year-round for future funding rounds. | New Two Farms direct producer lane. | Soil health, compost application, irrigation, conservation cover, high tunnel, pollinator/native habitat, erosion control, and veteran farmer ranking factors if available locally. |
| 8 | CDFA Healthy Soils Program Block Grants | High follow-on | Block grant concept deadline was May 15, 2026; producer subawards depend on selected block-grant recipients. | Block-grant recipient now; Courtney as future on-farm grant beneficiary. | Track selected regional administrators and be ready with compost, cover crop, mulch, hedgerow, and conservation practice budgets. |
| 9 | CDFA SWEEP Block Grants | High follow-on | Concept deadline was May 15, 2026; producer access through block-grant administrators. | Future producer beneficiary. | Irrigation efficiency, water resilience, pump/solar compatibility, soil moisture monitoring, and climate-smart farm infrastructure. |
| 10 | USDA Value-Added Producer Grant | High if productized | FY26 NOFO released; confirm current Grants.gov/portal deadline before filing. | New Two Farms direct producer lane. | Only pursue if a defensible value-added product exists: packaged compost, compost-amended specialty crop products, farm-branded prepared goods, or market feasibility planning. |
| 11 | USDA Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production / Composting and Food Waste Reduction | High track | Current USDA program page; monitor next NOFO. | UAIP can fit farm/garden actors; CFWR is for local governments, school districts, and tribes. | Urban-edge farming, community gardens, compost access for producers, food waste reduction, school/youth training, and multiple partner collaboration. |
| 12 | USDA REAP renewable energy / efficiency | High for farm energy | USDA delayed opening the first FY26 application window; monitor Rural Development. | New Two Farms direct agricultural producer or rural small business lane. | Solar, cold storage efficiency, pump efficiency, farm energy upgrades, and lower operating costs for compost/produce operations. |
| 13 | USDA Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant | High for youth/schools | FY26 closed; check later in 2026 for next cycle. | School district, nonprofit, New Two Farms in partnership. | School garden Courtney already started, farm field trips, taste tests, local sourcing, compost education, and healthy-choice behavior change. |
| 14 | Rose Foundation environmental grants | High for BEC | Active 2026 cycles; one fund due June 18, 2026. | BEC or eligible grassroots/environmental nonprofit. | Environmental justice, public participation, land/water stewardship, native habitat, waste reduction, and grassroots North State organizing. |
| 15 | Northern California Environmental Grassroots Fund | High for BEC/community groups | Recurring 2026 deadlines; verify fund-specific round before applying. | BEC or smaller grassroots group. | Small but practical money for environmental education, local campaigns, creek/park stewardship, compost outreach, and community organizing. |
| 16 | Clif Family Foundation | High for nonprofit partner | Next deadline Aug. 1, 2026. | 501(c)(3) or fiscal sponsor; BEC/youth nonprofit lane. | Sustainable food systems, climate justice, environmental health, community health, and equitable access. Not for individuals or capital-heavy farm equipment. |
| 17 | Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant | Medium-high track | 2025 closed; monitor for 2026/2027 garden window. | School site or support organization with school garden. | Use Courtney's school-garden proof, edible garden learning, under-resourced students, and farm-to-school field trip pathway. |
| 18 | KidsGardening grants | Medium-high track | 2026 common application deadline was Jan. 30, 2026; monitor next cycle. | School, youth program, or garden nonprofit. | Garden supplies, waterwise gardens, outdoor education, youth wellness, and hands-on food literacy. |
| 19 | California CalVIP | Medium if violence-intervention partner exists | Current cohort awarded Feb. 2026; track next RFP. | Youth intervention nonprofit, city, county, or tribe. | Do not force a farm-only application. Use New Two Farms as workforce, mentoring, and paid prosocial placement inside a credible violence-prevention program. |
| 20 | California DOJ Office of Gun Violence Prevention grant page | Medium track | Last CalVIP proposals were due Aug. 18, 2025; track 2026/2027 updates. | Youth/CVI partner. | Use only where the youth intervention work has evidence-based violence interruption, intensive case management, or diversion structure. |
| 21 | EPA Environmental Education Grants | Medium for BEC/youth | FY26 closed March 3, 2026; monitor next NOFO. | BEC, school district, tribe, or nonprofit partner. | Hands-on environmental learning: compost systems, watershed/soil stewardship, farm climate resilience, youth action projects, and community education. |
| 22 | CalEPA Environmental Justice Small Grants | Medium track | Currently closed on CalEPA page. | BEC or eligible 501(c)(3)/tribal partner. | Environmental justice, climate adaptation, wildfire preparation, green space, water conservation, public participation, and pollution-burdened communities. |
| 23 | North Valley Community Foundation | Medium-high local relationship target | Grantmaking/fundholder pathway; check active requests directly. | Nonprofit partner or fiscally sponsored project. | Local funders may be the best bridge money for grant-writing, pilot bins, youth stipends, garden materials, and match for larger state/federal applications. |
| 24 | CDFA grants tracker | Tracking source | Updated with current and upcoming CDFA windows. | Depends on program. | Watch for future Urban Agriculture, Specialty Crop, Healthy Soils, SWEEP, farm-to-school, and technical-assistance subaward openings. |
| 25 | Farmer Veteran Coalition Fellowship Fund | High direct fit, next cycle | 2026 cycle closed Feb. 17; next cycle likely early 2027. | Courtney direct, if eligible FVC member and not a prior Fellowship recipient. | Small equipment grants of roughly $1,000-$5,000 align with immediate farm needs: fencing, implements, bins, wash/pack tools, compost handling tools, and supplies. |
| 26 | USDA 2501 Program | High beneficiary fit, partner-led | NOFO not yet issued as of USDA's 2026 program update; track Grants.gov alerts. | Nonprofit, higher-ed, tribal, or community-based partner; Courtney as beneficiary/training site. | Individuals cannot apply, but her profile fits the beneficiary lane: veteran farmer, USDA access, business training, conservation programs, and farm technical assistance. |
| 27 | USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program | High demonstration-site fit | Open; applications due June 16, 2026. | Nonprofit, university, extension, tribe, or training coalition. | Use New Two Farms as a demonstration and training site for beginning, veteran, women, and minority farmers learning compost, direct-market production, and land-based enterprise skills. |
| 28 | American Farmland Trust Brighter Future Fund | High direct fit | National Farm Viability Grant opens June 2026. | Courtney direct producer lane. | AFT supports farm viability, climate resilience, local food systems, underserved farmers, water, habitat, and keeping farmers on the land. One of the best private direct-to-farmer tracks. |
| 29 | NRCS Regenerative Pilot Program | Very high direct fit | FY26 first batching passed Jan. 15; apply through local NRCS for future ranking dates. | New Two Farms direct producer lane. | The whole-farm planning frame fits her better than a one-practice EQIP ask: compost, cover crops, soil health testing, water management, habitat, and long-term farm productivity. |
| 30 | CDFA Biologically Integrated Farming Systems Program | High partner-led fit | Applications June 3-June 30, 2026. | Research/extension/nonprofit lead with Courtney as grower demonstration partner. | Strong if she can host a plant-based IPM, compost, soil biology, reduced-pesticide, or cultural pest-management demonstration with a credible technical partner. |
| 31 | USDA Rural Business Development Grant | Medium-high, partner-led | SECD due June 15, 2026; regular applications due June 30, 2026. | Nonprofit, tribe, or public body serving rural areas. | Not for Courtney directly, but powerful for a partner-led rural business incubator, market feasibility, farm enterprise training, shared equipment, and local-food microenterprise support. |
| 32 | Shipt Community Impact Grants | High nonprofit-partner fit | Open May 11-June 12, 2026. | Nonprofit partner; Courtney as teaching farm, mobile market, or food hub partner. | Very strong language match: hands-on learning, fresh food, teaching farms, mobile markets, and food hubs moving from concept to reality. |
| 33 | SeedMoney Challenge | Medium-high garden fit | Applications open June 21, 2026. | School garden, community garden, food bank garden, or public garden partner. | Good small-dollar match for garden materials, youth garden visibility, community fundraising, and keeping Courtney's school/community gardens alive between larger grants. |
| 34 | California Youth Community Access Grant Program | High youth-partner fit | Next solicitation anticipated Spring 2026. | Public agency, nonprofit, tribe, or youth-serving partner. | Directly names outdoor environmental education, urban agriculture/gardening, field trips, and natural-resource workforce development for disadvantaged youth. |
| 35 | Food Recovery Network Community College Food Recovery Grants | Medium partner fit | 2026 applications opened; program starts Summer/Fall 2026. | Butte College or other community college partner. | Strong if a college partner can recover surplus food, route edible food to service partners, and send remaining organics into Courtney's compost education and farm loop. |
| 36 | EPA Wasted Food funding tracker | Tracking source | Tracker page; monitor EPA/USDA food-waste NOFOs. | BEC, university, public agency, or nonprofit partner. | Useful for household food-waste education, restaurant diversion, parent/youth behavior change, and research-supported prevention tied to composting and food rescue. |
| 37 | CalRecycle Farm and Ranch Solid Waste Cleanup and Abatement Grant | Conditional land fit | Cycle 91 due July 8, 2026. | Public agency or qualifying applicant working on farm/ranch cleanup. | Only relevant if there is illegal dumping or legacy solid waste on farm/ranch land; do not force it, but it is worth checking because landowners often miss it. |
| 38 | California Fire Safe Council State Fire Capacity Grant | Medium partner fit | 2026 program active. | BEC, Butte Fire Safe Council, local fire safe or nonprofit partner. | Not a compost grant, but Butte County context matters. Tie native planting, defensible space education, green waste handling, and youth stewardship to fire-adapted landscapes. |
| 39 | Butte County Fire Safe Council partnership | Relationship target | Active local partner; recent 2026 RFP activity. | BEC or New Two Farms as partner, not necessarily lead. | Strong relationship target for green-waste diversion, community education, prescribed-fire/native-landscape literacy, and youth stewardship days. |
| 40 | Butte County RCD Soil Hub | High technical-assistance fit | Active technical-assistance and funding-navigation partner. | Courtney direct relationship; BCRCD as technical partner. | The Soil Hub language explicitly connects compost, soil conservation, regenerative agriculture, climate resilience, soil testing, and cost-share opportunities. |
| 41 | Sierra Nevada Conservancy Grants | Medium partner fit | Current 2026 board cycle deadlines have passed; use funding consultations and next cycle planning. | BEC, tribe, nonprofit, or public agency partner. | Useful for rural resilience, watershed health, outdoor access, recreation, forest health, and North State community resilience partnerships around Butte-area work. |
| 42 | California FarmLink loans and technical assistance | Direct leverage tool | Ongoing. | Courtney direct business-finance lane. | Not a grant, but important leverage: fair farm loans, operating/equipment/vehicle/infrastructure uses, technical assistance, and regenerative-practice-aligned underwriting. |
| 43 | CDFA farmer resource page for USDA grants and loans | Direct leverage tool | Ongoing resource list. | Courtney direct; FSA/NRCS service-center path. | Important because many USDA loan and conservation programs have priority funding for socially disadvantaged, beginning, women, and veteran farmers. This can fund the match or equipment pieces grants will not cover. |
Recommended grant plays
Each package should have a clean lead applicant, a narrow budget, and a funder-friendly outcome. The same facts can be reused, but the emphasis changes depending on whether the funder cares about compost diversion, local food systems, youth outcomes, or environmental justice.
Fast tactical notes
Use "service-disabled veteran-owned, woman-owned, minority-owned" carefully. It strengthens the access and leadership story, but the proposal still has to lead with outcomes, partners, budget, and proof of execution.
Compost is both environmental and economic. It diverts food waste, reduces methane, improves soil, feeds gardens, lowers input costs, creates a saleable product, and gives youth a concrete skill ladder.
The four-site structure matters. Funders like distributed but accountable models: named sites, named feedstock sources, clear logs, assigned responsibilities, monthly meetings, and basic testing/reporting.
Do not let "youth intervention" become vague. Tie it to paid roles, attendance, mentoring contacts, skills earned, meals/gardens served, school engagement, justice diversion partners, and post-program referrals.
Primary references