Meet The FruitGuys Community Fund’s 2025 Farm Grantees

The FruitGuys Community Fund (TFGCF) has awarded a record twenty-one small farms and agricultural nonprofits from seventeen states grants for projects that will make their farms more economically and ecologically sustainable. We’re thrilled to introduce you to this exciting class of 2025 farm grantees! 

Highlights of the 2025 Small Farm Grant Cycle

2025 was our thirteenth consecutive year of grantmaking and featured our largest budget to date ($90,000), which will help steward 247 acres of active farmland and extend our impact to four new states: Florida, South Carolina, Idaho, and New Hampshire.  

All twenty-one projects contribute to multiple key focus areas, reflecting a broad and meaningful impact on sustainable agriculture. A majority have a component that focuses on water conservation, improving soil quality, and the preservation of heirloom crops, and nearly half of the projects involve growing season extension, pollinator support, and natural pest control. 

“The 2025 class of grantees represents the critical role of small-scale farms in a diverse food system that’s rooted in regenerating the planet and positively impacting communities,” said Sheila Cassani, project director and head of impact for The FruitGuys. “On behalf of The FruitGuys Community Fund and our grantees, I want to express heartfelt thanks to all our donors and our volunteer reviewers.”

Meet The 2025 Farm Grantees

Read on for the details on farm projects that the 2025 grantees will complete by the end of the year.

More About the Grantees and Their Projects

Aspen Ridge Farms

Aspen Ridge Farms in Caldwell, Idaho, is owned and operated by the Urizar family. They produce pastured-raised eggs, chicken, and pork, in addition to a wide variety of fruit and vegetables on seven acres using regenerative farming practices and no-till gardening methods. Aspen Ridge will use its $4,935 grant award to build a 20′ x 60′ high tunnel to extend its growing season, regulate growing temperatures, and protect heirloom crops from frost during Idaho’s short growing season. This investment will increase yields and support biodiversity and crop resilience by fostering heirloom produce production in a controlled environment.

Beacon Food Forest Gardens

Beacon Food Forest Gardens at Unitarian Universalist of Clearwater in Clearwater, Florida, is a majority BIPOC- and women-led nonprofit agricultural farm and teaching garden on a mission to serve the local community and increase food security by growing a diverse intercropped food forest utilizing agroecological and permaculture methods. Beacon Food Forest will use its $4,456 grant award to revitalize a neglected area of the farm by planting thirty-two fruit trees, perennial companion plants, and pollinator-friendly annual crops. This effort will enhance biodiversity, food production, and education while strengthening regional food security. 

Blessed Up Blooms

Blessed Up Blooms in Atlanta, Georgia, is owned and operated by Nailah Marie Ellis. Nailah cultivates cut flowers and vegetables on eleven acres of certified organic fields utilizing ecological practices such as minimum tillage, crop rotation, and cover crops. With a grant award of $4,975, Nailah will plant and establish native blueberry cultivars suited for production in the southeastern US. The Rabbiteye blueberry bush produces high-yielding, tasty fruit that will expand the offerings of this flower-heavy farm.

Chelsea Community Garden

Chelsea Community Garden in Chelsea, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit farm that produces a wide range of culturally relevant fruits, vegetables, and herbs on .06 acres to meet the culinary and cultural needs of its diverse community. The Chelsea Community Garden has served as a vital urban growing space since 1998, providing access to fresh produce, green space, and a community hub. With a $5,000 grant, the gardeners will purchase fourteen raised-bed garden kits and forty-two yards of loam and compost, which will make the space more accessible, productive, and sustainable for years to come.

Common Vision – Prescott Farm

Common Vision – Prescott Farm in Oakland, California, is a majority BIPOC-led nonprofit organization that teaches environmental education and models sustainable agriculture at Prescott Elementary School. Prescott Farm grows fruits and vegetables such as collards, squash, tomatoes, legumes, salad greens, berries, edible flowers, melons, and pumpkins. Prescott Farm’s $5,000 grant award will go toward building a “Regeneration Station” with a worm farm, chickens, and a hoop house for plant propagation and outdoor learning support. It will enhance sustainable urban agriculture education and fresh food access for students and the community.

Dandelion Forest Farm

Dandelion Forest Farm in Nottingham, New Hampshire, is a family-owned farm that uses agroforestry and regenerative methods to grow a highly diverse array of vegetables. It also hosts hundreds of edible perennial trees and shrubs, including chestnut, hazelnut, elderberry, beach plum, persimmon, apple, peach, cherry, plum, quince, apricot, and blueberry. With a $4,971 grant, the Dandelion Forest Farm team will purchase a commercial leaf shredder to replace their current time-consuming mulching method. Mulch mitigates climate change by preventing erosion, regulating soil temperature, adding nutrients, conserving water, and suppressing weeds. Leaves are a free, abundant local resource for mulch. This project will also allow the farm to educate visitors about the benefits of mulch and natural resource utilization.

Diddly Squat Farming

Diddly Squat Farming in Brandywine, Maryland, is a woman-, Black-, and veteran-owned farm business led by Constance Satchell. On five acres, she cultivates mixed vegetables, hemp, mushrooms, and medicinal herbs using sustainable farming practices. With a grant of $3,221, Constance will purchase a commercial dehydrator and screens to improve processing efficiency, support value-added product development, and assist with the production of biological pesticides.

Gardopia Gardens

Gardopia Gardens in San Antonio, Texas, is a majority BIPOC-led agricultural nonprofit farm that cultivates a diverse array of fruits, nuts, and vegetables on four acres. Gardopia Gardens serves as a hub for urban agriculture education and regenerative practices, fostering partnerships with local schools, community organizations, and farms to expand access to fresh produce. With a $5,000 grant, Gardopia will expand its Community Resilience Tool Library, which provides shared gardening tools and equipment like wheelbarrows, shovels, compost tumblers, soil testers, seeders, and drip irrigation kits. These resources support schools, community gardens, and urban farmers in nearby underserved communities. 

Liberation Farm

Liberation Farm in Wales, Maine, is an agricultural nonprofit farm operated by the Somali Bantu Community Association. This 104-acre property supports the Somali Bantu refugee community with fifty acres dedicated to farming grains, vegetables, livestock, and hay. Liberation Farm will use its $4,957 grant to purchase landscape fabric, cover crop seeds, row covers, wheelbarrows, straw, drip tape, trellising twine, harvest bins, and perennial herbs to support weed suppression, soil fertility, pest control, water conservation, efficient harvesting, and pollinator habitat.

Living Hope Farm

Living Hope Farm in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, is a women-led agricultural nonprofit farm that produces annual fruits and vegetables, flowers, herbs, and eggs on ten acres of preserved farmland. It provides the local community with food through a CSA model and also hosts an internship program to educate new farmers. With a $3,053 grant award, Living Hope will plant a 200′ x 20′ edible perennial polyculture between two of their planting plots that will include fast-growing fruit and other trees, raspberry and blackberry bushes, and an assortment of edible undergrowth. The polyculture will act as a natural windbreak for a plot that is susceptible to wind damage as well as a habitat for beneficial insects. 

Mother Carr’s Farm

Mother Carr’s Farm in Lynwood, Illinois, is a woman-, BIPOC-, and veteran-led nonprofit growing fruits and vegetables on three acres using sustainable methods. It offers biweekly produce distribution and a paid internship program in sustainable agriculture. With a $ 5,000 grant, its team will purchase a larger water pump and filter as well as install a drip irrigation system. This will improve water efficiency and reduce labor needs, as well as support soil health and crop productivity. 

Namuna Farm

Namuna Farm in Kent, Washington, is operated by the Biswa family. They steward four acres of a twenty-six-acre county-owned site shared with fifty other farmers through the International Rescue Committee’s New Roots program in Seattle. The farm supports the broader community by growing culturally significant crops not typically available in Washington or commercial grocery stores, making cultural foods more accessible. With a $5,000 grant, Namuna Farm will replace half of its sprinkler system with drip irrigation to improve water efficiency. Currently, water is pumped from the Green River using two gas-powered pumps, and the upgrade will reduce water use, labor, and fuel needs.

Old School Farm

Old School Farm in Nashville, Tennessee, is a two-acre agricultural nonprofit farm that employs adults with developmental disabilities; grows diverse seasonal produce, including vegetables, herbs, berries, and flowers; and donates much of it to local food assistance programs. With a $5,000 grant, Old School Farm will install solar-powered fencing to protect a half-acre plot that’s been vulnerable to animal damage, as well as improve its pack shed for more efficient processing and to prevent spoilage during peak summer harvests.

Quetzalcoatl Temple

Quetzalcoatl Temple in Arenas Valley, New Mexico, is a woman-, BIPOC-, veteran-, and LGBTQ+-led agricultural non profit stewarding five acres of farmland as part of an ecovillage community. It grows heirloom vegetables and medicinal plants native to the area, as well as Ayurvedic herbs. With a $2,995 grant, Quetzalcoatl will construct a walipini (a sunken greenhouse that uses passive solar energy and earthen insulation) to provide stable year-round growing temperatures for its vegetables and herbs. The sunny, dry climate and stable, low-permeability soil of the southwest are ideal for walipinis, making them a superior option to hoophouses for extending the growing season in the region. This project aims to demonstrate the benefits of walipinis to local farms.

The Farm at The Beth

The Farm at The Beth in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is an urban farm program of The Bethlehem Center, a 105-year-old nonprofit dedicated to building lasting relationships with Chattanooga’s youth and families through spiritual growth, education, and leadership development. The farm grows over forty varieties of fruits and vegetables and integrates pollinator-friendly habitats, aiming to restore biodiversity and soil health in an area historically burdened by industrial pollution. A $4,734 grant will enable it to acquire materials for a cut flower garden, including heirloom seeds and soil amendments. Funds will also support orchard expansion and the establishment of a new honeybee hive. These investments will bolster pollinator habitat, food production, soil health, and market operations, contributing to the farm’s long-term sustainability.

The Laurels Farm

The Laurels Farm in Sandown, New Hampshire, is a family-, woman-, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC-owned and operated farm founded by Danika and L Villalva. They grow vegetables, flowers, eggs, and chicks on two acres using organic methods, avoiding synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides to support a healthy ecosystem. Their no-till farming practices minimize soil disturbance, preserve soil structure, increase organic matter, and foster beneficial microorganisms. With a $4,118 grant, they will replace plastic seed-starting trays with Johnny’s Selected Seeds’ Commercial Soil Blockers, a system that eliminates the need for plastic while improving seedling success and reducing waste. They will also purchase a tilther to precisely prepare no-till beds, maintaining soil health, and a Jang Seeder Starter Kit to streamline direct seeding, saving time and ensuring consistent germination.

The Refugee Collective Farm

The Refugee Collective Farm in Elgin, Texas, is a majority BIPOC-led agricultural nonprofit farm that employs refugees year-round and provides them with community garden plots to grow culturally significant produce. They produce certified organic vegetables and eggs, and also have a young fruit orchard and a textile studio that utilizes natural dyes and flax. With a $5,000 grant, they will install drip irrigation and establish an evergreen windbreak (including Italian cypress, Ashe juniper, and smooth sumac trees) to protect crops and promote biodiversity.  

Thimbleberry Collaborative Farm

Thimbleberry Collaborative Farm in Boring, Oregon, is a woman-, BIPOC-, and LGBTQ+-led agricultural nonprofit with a mission to advance individual, community, and environmental health by providing healthy, locally grown produce; educational programs; and community-led events. It includes one acre of vegetables and culinary herbs grown with regenerative practices—including compost, low-till methods, and cover cropping—to build soil health and sequester carbon. With a $1,745 grant, Thimbleberry will install an underground water line to the propagation house to improve farm safety, water conservation, and seedling production, and to reduce freeze-related damage. This upgrade will enhance food production, decrease maintenance costs, and increase the farm’s capacity to support the community.

Tidal Rhythm Organic Farm

Tidal Rhythm Organic Farm in Belle Haven, Virginia, spans thirty-eight acres overlooking the Chesapeake Bay. Owned and operated by Alicia Anderson and Tom Culton, the farm includes eight acres of produce, twelve acres of perennials, and one-third of an acre of high tunnels hosting a diverse range of fruits and vegetables grown using regenerative growing practices. The farm is working toward organic certification. With a $4,726 grant, Belle and Tom will implement a rainwater catchment system and solar-powered irrigation system to reduce reliance on groundwater, conserve water, and enhance soil health.

Ubuntu Family Farm

Ubuntu Family Farm in Kent, Washington, is owned and operated by Tatu Marie-Jose, who stewards one acre of land through the International Rescue Committee’s New Roots program in Seattle. She grows a diverse range of vegetables and culturally significant crops using organic African farming methods from her upbringing, including crop rotation and integrated pest management. With a $5,000 grant, Ubuntu Family Farm will install weed-suppression tarps to conserve moisture, protect soil health, and reduce labor needs. Tatu, who is disabled, will also purchase materials to trellis heirloom beans and peas using companion planting techniques that improve soil health and accessibility. Additionally, the grant will support the installation of a rainwater catchment and drip irrigation system to conserve water and reduce crop damage.

Uhuru Farms

Uhuru Farms in Hopkins, South Carolina, is a majority woman-, BIPOC-, and veteran-led agricultural nonprofit operated by UASC International Learning Center. As a teaching community farm, it welcomes daycare centers, senior citizens, and youth groups to learn about sustainable farming and thriving ecosystems. Surrounded by monoculture operations, Uhuru Farms stands out as one of the few biodiverse farms in the region. With a $1,112 grant, Uhuru will begin building a new Pollinator Patio by planting pollinator-attracting plant species to support bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other essential pollinators. This initiative will also serve as an interactive educational space for youth participants, deepening their understanding of ecological balance and biodiversity.

How We Chose Our 2025 Farm Grantees

Our independent volunteer reviewers selected the 2025 farm grantees based on a range of criteria such as ownership diversity, years in operation, type of farming, difficulty accessing traditional sources of capital, area of operation, and community impact. 

This year’s grants were made possible thanks to donors to our Give to Grow Small Farms campaign and continued program support from our major donor, Aramark. In 2022, Aramark, the Philadelphia-based food and facilities service provider, began a commitment to funding a cohort of nonprofit farms led by farmers who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) in each of our grant cycles. 

The FruitGuys, a family-run produce and snack delivery service, covers all administrative and staffing costs in addition to contributing to the annual grant budget. TFGCF is a nonprofit fiscally-sponsored project of Community Initiatives. 

Subscribe to Get Grantee Project Updates!

We’re excited to see our 2025 grantees kick off their projects. They’ll keep us updated regularly with informal progress reports and submit formal reports in August 2025 and January 2026. We can’t wait to see their projects take shape and hear about the positive changes they’re making on their farms and in their communities.

You can read the final reports from our 2024 farm grantees here. If you’d like to keep up with our 2025 farm grantees throughout the year, be sure to sign up for our newsletter!