Working Lands Enterprise Initiative Opens FY 2027 Applications

Up to $225K available for Producer Associations and Service Provider Organizations

September 22, 2026 | Montpelier, VT - The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative (WLEI) is opening applications for the Service Provider & Producer Association Grant, which aims to provide business support services to Vermont agriculture, food, and forest businesses, and to strengthen Vermont producer associations in these sectors.

The application portal is open now through November 5^th, 2026 at 2:00pm . There will be an optional webinar on Thursday, October 1 from 11:00am-12:00pm. The recording and slides will be posted online for anyone that cannot attend. The webinar will go over project eligibility, how to apply, and how to use the WebGrants portal to apply.

This grant is for two types of applicants:

1. Service providers , which are organizations that provide business support services to agricultural and forestry businesses.

1. Producer associations , which are organizations founded and funded by Vermont businesses related to agriculture, food, beverage, forest, or fiber products.

Service provider grant projects should provide direct services to support Vermont-based farm and forest businesses. Some examples of the types of services include business and financial planning, workforce development, and marketing support.

Producer association grant projects may also provide these services to their members, or the project can be about association's governance and operations.

Up to $225,000 is available to award. There is no match requirement. Additional grant details:

• $10,000 minimum award amount.
• No maximum award amount.
• In FY26, ten Service Provider and Producer Association projects were funded with a total of $370,000 dollars available. In FY26, the majority of grant awards were under $40,000. Partial awards will not be readily offered in FY27.
• Project length: 15 months (March 2027-May 2028)

Find out more details on the Service Provider & Producer Association Grant page .

For questions regarding the Service Provider and Producer Association grant opportunity, please contact:

Elizabeth Sipple | Program Manager

[email protected] | 802-917-1134

** The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative (WLEI) and governing board (WLEB) were created in 2012 to promote economic development in the agricultural and forestry sectors. Please follow @vtworkinglands and sign up for the VT Ag Bulletin for updates and application announcements.