Regenerative practices begin with soil health. Photo by Liz Birnbaum at The Curated Feast
The Marin Agricultural Land Trust’s (MALT’s) small grants program is opening a round of funding in late February that will focus on protecting biodiversity in agricultural working lands.
The goal of this small grants cycle is to provide resources to help agriculturalists promote biodiversity in their working lands.
Funding Focus
Grants up to $50,000 will fund practices that promote biodiversity through innovative approaches and techniques. Projects will help increase understanding of the connection between agricultural working lands and biodiversity, lead to more diverse landscapes, increase productivity, and protect environmental resources and services.
What Is Biodiversity in Working Lands?
Biodiversity supports our basic needs, underpins global health, and drives everything from fresh water to healthy soils to food security. In agricultural working lands, farmers and ranchers can rely on biodiversity for ecosystem services such as pollination, soil fertility, water quality, and natural pest control.
Agricultural methods such as rotational grazing, cover cropping, hedgerows, pasture seeding, tree planting, conservation tillage, and producing value-added products can help promote biodiversity through maintaining and creating diverse habitats, improving soil health, and reducing reliance on chemical inputs.
Eligibility
All agriculturalists engaging in commercial agriculture in Marin County are eligible for this grant. A MALT Conservation Easement is not required to apply for a grant from this program. Applicants who received a small grant in fall 2023 are not eligible for this round of funding, but will be eligible in the next fiscal year.
Timeline
- Request for Proposals Released—February 20, 2024
- Proposals Due—April 5, 2024
- Grant Awards Announced—Early June 2024
To learn more about this funding opportunity, please visit the MALT website.
If you have any questions, please contact Eric Rubenstahl at erubenstahl@malt.org or (415) 663-1158, ext. 319.