Overview
The Department invites eligible counties, municipalities, soil and water conservation districts and not-for-profit conservation organizations to submit proposals for funding through the state’s first Farmland Protection Staff Capacity Grants Pilot Program.
The Capacity Grants Program will support local agricultural and farmland protection goals by helping land trusts and local governments to hire their initial project staff or to add staff with the purpose of initiating or accelerating farmland protection projects. Applicants will apply for one of two project categories:
1. First Staff Hire for new Land Trust or Land Conservancy – Funding available to any not-for-profit conservation organization established within the last three years hiring of its first staff member dedicated to farmland protection.
2. Increased Staff Capacity for Farmland Protection – Funding available to applicants already engaged in planning and implementing farmland protection projects at the local or regional level but who intend to accelerate their rate of farmland protection.
Please see the Request for Proposals below for specific information about the grant and how to apply.
Apply
All details about the grant program are available in the Application Instructions attached below.
Applications must be submitted via the Statewide Financial System Grants Management System (SFS GM) to be considered for funding. Proposals are due Friday, June 26, 2026, at 4:00 pm.
An informational webinar for interested applicants will be held on April 16, 2026 at 10:00 am. The link to attend the meeting is available here.
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Project Pipeline Template - RFP 0397 - Farmland Protection Staff Capacity Grants Pilot Program
This table provides the opportunity to share high level information about current farmland protection projects. Please share the status of each farm, the size, primary land use and a few other factors. This table will be used to get an understanding on how many and what type of farms your organization is actively engaged with.
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Work Plan Template - RFP 0397 - Farmland Protection Staff Capacity Grants Pilot Program
The Project Activity Table will serve as a framework to map out what tasks the staff will accomplish and what performance measures will be used to measure the degree in which those tasks are completed. The nine objectives are fixed and nested within three phases of work. Ultimately this work plan should provide a clear outline as to what the increased staff capacity will accomplish and how they plan to do it.
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Financial Worksheet Template - RFP 0397 - Farmland Protection Staff Capacity Grants Pilot Program
This excel file will be used to record the budget. There are four tabs to be used in chronological order. Starting with the furthest left tab labeled “Year 1”, formulate your budget for each year. The completed financial workbook will be used as your estimated project budget and actuals will be filled in during the annual reporting.
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Questions and Answers
All questions about requirements contained in this RFP must be submitted in writing and must be received at the Department by 4:00 p.m., May 1, 2026. Please submit all written questions to the coordinator for this grant opportunity:
Eric Rubenstahl
NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets
10B Airline Drive
Albany, New York 12235
E-mail: [email protected]
A list of questions about the program which are received from potential applicants, and answers to those questions, as well as any changes, additions, or deletions to the RFP, will be posted by May 20, 2025 on this page.