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Non-Profit Created by Chef Rick Bayless Has Donated $3.5 Million Over Two Decades
Frontera Farmer Foundation — the non-profit created by Chicago Chef Rick Bayless to provide financial support for eligible small farms in the Midwest region — has opened its applications for its 2025 awards.
Rick Bayless has played a key role in reviving a robust local food community in the Chicago region. And the new grants will be on top of the $3.5 million that the Foundation has given outright to farmers since it was founded in 2003.
Applications must be received by 11 p.m. central on March 22.
Frontera Farmer Foundation will award grants for capital improvements of up to $15,000 to small and mid-size farmers in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin that sell their food products to customers in the Chicago area at farmers markets and otherwise.
Farmers must have been in business for at least three years and must demonstrate how the grant will improve both their farm’s viability and the availability of locally grown food products in the Chicago area. Farms that have been awarded grants will be eligible every other year, for a maximum of three total awards.
Grant applicants will be judged on the basis of demonstrated need, long-term dedication to sustainable farming, creative and business acumen, and commitment to sustainability. Applicants will also be judged on their past history with the foundation. Additional grants will be approved only after a farm has demonstrated the initial grant had a measurable impact on the farm's infrastructure and ability to provide locally grown food to the Chicago area.
Ready to apply? Click the button below.
From the Foundation website:
The Frontera Farmer Foundation is committed to promoting small, sustainable Midwestern farms serving the Chicago area, by providing them with capital development grants. Small local farms, which often struggle financially, are more likely to promote biodiversity by planting a wide range of produce and operate using organic practices. By their artisanal approach to agriculture, the freshness of their product and the variety of their offerings, these farmers insure the highest quality food while they add immeasurably to the fabric of their local rural community.
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