2024 Farmer Veteran Fellowship Application

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Please read this page carefully as it has instructions for the application. 

Deadline to apply for the 2024 funding cycle is February 14, 2024. 

The Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund is a small grant program that provides direct assistance to veterans who are in their beginning years of farming or ranching. Awards range from $1,000 to $5,000 to purchase equipment or supplies that will support your farm business.  The application process is extremely competitive and submitting an application does not guarantee funding.


Application Process:

It will be helpful to have the following information available during the process: military service history, educational background, farming history, business and financial plans, and short-term and long-term goals. The application process can take 1-2 hours to complete. It is strongly recommended that you write your responses in a Word document on your computer, and save

the document often. Copy and paste the text over to the application. This will prevent losing information in the case of a technological malfunction. 


Previous recipients of the Fellowship award are only eligible to apply again for funding if previously awarded $1,000 or less. All are welcome to apply for Kubota's Geared to Give.


Th The Kubota Geared to Give application is integrated into this Fellowship Fund application.

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Eligibility Requirements:

·         Applicants must have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, currently be on active-duty, or serving in the military reserve/National Guard.

·         Applicants must be members of FVC (you can join for free at farmvetco.org)

·         Applicants must have an honorable discharge (other characters of discharge may be accepted on a case-by-case basis). Active duty or reserve members need a command support letter. 

   ·        The Fellowship is designed to support for-profit ag businesses, non-profit entities are not                 eligible to apply. 
  ·         Applicants must have an agricultural business in operation, and submit a business plan.

·         Applicants must be willing to fully participate in the Fellowship Program, which includes reporting progress, capturing photos of the purchase, and mentoring aspiring veteran farmers if needed.

·         Applicants must have the desire to continue to serve others and make a positive impact on the farmer veteran community. 


Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

·         Farm Training, Experience, and/or Transferable skills.

·         Personal Investment in the farm business.

·         Strategic and concise funding request that will help the business grow in the long term.

·         Vision and goals for the future of the business. 

·         Community involvement and unique impact. 



Documents Required: (uploaded in a digital file format as a word document, PDF, or JPEG)

·         Documentation of military service. All discharged service members must provide their most recent DD-214 that includes character of service (Member 4). Active, Reservist, or  National Guard applicants must provide a command support letter.

·         A business plan, outlining the business you currently operate and future business goals.   Please keep your business plan under 15 pages.

·         The application includes a short essay question exploring the following areas: motivation and experiences that led to launching your business and career ambitions in agriculture. Minimum one paragraph, maximum one page. 


Fellowship Expectations:

·         Purchases are made through third-party vendors and must be directly related to building your agricultural business. If awarded, you must follow FVC's purchasing procedures. 

·         As part of your role as an awardee, we may ask you to become an ambassador of FVC, with the option to respond to media requests or attend events to further our mission. 

·         You may be asked to provide periodic business and progress reports when requested.

·         You will be expected to maintain a high moral character while representing FVC in the community.


 

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Questions marked with a red asterisk are required in order to successfully submit this form. The next section of the application will appear after this section is filled out. 









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Military Service Questions





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You do not need to have a VA rating to apply.












Agriculture Questions



This information is not reported to any external agencies.











Fellowship Questions





Goals


Award Questions
Farming Fellows can be awarded a grant worth up to $5,000. Fellows do not receive a direct payment. Purchases must be durable goods and sustainable in order that they will make a lasting impact on your agricultural business. If awarded, you will submit invoice(s) for your requested item(s) and payment will be made to the vendor. 

Previous awardees of more than $1,000 are not eligible for a fellowship, but may proceed with the application to be considered for Geared to Give. Please put "not applicable" if needed.


Please upload your response to the prompt in a single Microsoft Word document, a maximum of 1 page. 

 


Describe how your military service has helped you in the food/farming industry and 

what other life experiences have led you to choose a career in agriculture?




Geared to Give Supplemental Questions: 
Geared to Give is a partnership between FVC and Kubota Tractor Corporation. Kubota will be donating equipment, including tractors, utility vehicles, and hay tools. Kubota equipment will be awarded in the spring. 

Geared to Give supplemental questions








Hay Tools Questions
In order to be eligible for hay tools, you must already have a working tractor with a minimum of 110 PTO horsepower. 









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