KCD’s Regional Food System Program was initiated to link producers with consumers and to serve as a catalyst for making local food production environmentally and economically sustainable. The program funds projects that contribute to the economic viability of local farmers, encourage new farmers, expand acreage in food production, improve food access, and increase demand for King County farm products.
The awardees of the 2017 Regional Food System grant round include:
| Applicant | Project Title | Project Description | Funding Priority | Grant Request | Matching Funds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pike Place Market Foundation | Pilot Individual Development Account Program for Beginning Farmers | Pilot an individual development account program with a cohort of five second generation farmers at the Market in order to give farmers the ability to finance their farms through the combination of financial education and a savings incentive program. | Business Management | $16,050 | $17,992 |
| Goose and Gander Farm | Addressing the Farm Infrastructure Gap | A Shared Aggregation and Cold Storage Site for Snoqualmie Valley Farms and Farm Organizations. | Consumer Demand / Food Safety / Infrastructure | $99,919 | $41,292 |
| Lily Gottlieb-McHale | Shared Soil | Shared Soil increases land access and supports collective farming practices by providing rentable farmland in Enumclaw, WA for beginner, immigrant, and socially disadvantaged farmers who are ready to transition off the Tilth Alliance Farm Works incubator and expand their farm businesses. | Land Access / Infrastructure | $27,546 | $46,210 |
| Public Health- Seattle & KC | Gathering Around the Table for ‘Dulet’ – Building a Safe Meat Supply Chain by and for the East African Community in King County | This project seeks to replace an unsafe and sometimes illegal meat supply chain with a safe, legal, local, and culturally appropriate meat supply chain for King County’s 100,000 person and growing East African immigrant population by working with a partnership of producers, processors, distributors, consumers and agencies. | Consumer Demand/ Food Safety/ Infrastructure | $97,500 | $46,823 |
| SnoValley Tilth | Growing Farm Businesses | A three-strategy business training program focused on helping established producers in Snoqualmie Valley grow their farm operations and increase productivity through education, mentorship, and small-group consultations. | Business Management | $54,581 | $17,075 |
| King County DNRP | Working Farmland Partnership Pilot Project | Pilot project to test the concept of a focused, multi-partner, ground-based effort to link farmers looking to establish or expand their farming business with landowners that want to bring underutilized land back into production. | Land Access/ Business Management | $99,558 | $128,300 |
| Food Innovation Network | Creating a Replicable & Scalable Pathway for South King County Urban Agriculture | Improve land access and business opportunities for urban agriculture in South King County by: 1) establishing the South King Urban Agriculture Network; 2) identifying and securing land for community gardens and urban farms; and 3) linking potential growers to land and resources for urban agriculture production and business development. | Land Access/ Business Management | $53,539 | $31,437 |
| Highline College | Highline College Community-Centered Urban Agriculture Program | Highline College will partner with the City of Des Moines to identify and increase the amount of farmable land for use by the College and the community in order to improve local food security, improve land use, and to provide a venue to educate and develop new farmers. | Land Access/ Business Management | $75,902 | $149,424 |
TOTAL FUNDED: Grant Request $524,595 | Matching Funds $478,553