New York state: $500,000 available to support farmers markets

Fourth round of funding aims to help farmers markets continue investment in infrastructure, marketing; supports state’s goal to ensure local food supply chain resilience

Submitted by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball announced $500,000 is available to New York’s farmers’ markets through Part 1 of the fourth round of the Farmers’ Market Resiliency Grant program. Grant funding will help farmers markets across the state to enhance local food system resiliency by improving market infrastructure, increasing marketing and promotion efforts, and adding delivery capability. Funding for the program was included in the New York state budget and builds on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s commitment to ensure a resilient food system in New York. Round 3 program awards were announced earlier this year.

Ball said, “The Farmers’ Market Resiliency Grant program is a crucial component of New York’s ongoing effort to strengthen our food supply chain. We learned during the pandemic that we needed to have a reliable food system right here at home, and I’m happy to see that we are making great progress towards that goal. Through three rounds of this program, we’ve seen some great progress on projects that are helping our farmers and producers reach more consumers. I encourage all eligible markets to apply for this great opportunity.”

The Farmers’ Market Resiliency Grant program was created to enhance long-term food system resiliency through New York state’s farmers markets. New in Part 1 of this round, the program requires that awardees make sub-grants available to farmers markets and/or farmers market vendors within their region through an open application process.

In the coming months, Part 2 of this funding opportunity will offer $200,000 in funding direct to eligible to farmers markets, without the sub-grant required in Part 1. This structure is intended to provide more opportunities to smaller markets, or those needing lower levels of financial assistance.

Grants ranging from $100,000 to $200,000 will be awarded to successful, eligible applicants who outline a plan to solicit and award grants to market locations. Those awardees may subaward projects that repair, replace or enhance of market infrastructure; modernize product delivery; and develop or scale up outreach efforts. Eligibility criteria and more information on the program, including how to apply, can be found on the department’s website. The deadline for applications is 3 p.m. Feb. 4, 2026. A webinar with program information will take place at 12:30 p.m. Dec. 11 Learn more and register.

Funding for the Farmers’ Market Resiliency Grant program is a part of Hochul’s investment in New York’s agricultural and food industries, aimed at boosting demand for New York agricultural products; bolstering New York's food supply chain; ensuring all New Yorkers can access fresh, local foods; and creating a resilient food system that can withstand extreme events.

In addition to the Farmers’ Market Resiliency Grant program, the Department of Agriculture and Markets has implemented an array of programs to build a more reliable food system and ensure that farmers can connect with new local markets. These include the Nourish New York program, the 30 Percent NYS Initiative for school meals, the FreshConnect program, and the Farm-to-School program. Additionally, the governor recently announced the third round of funding as part of the Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant program, which provides $50 million over five years to support regional cooking facilities that will advance the use of fresh New York state farm products in meal preparation for K-12 school children.

Farmers markets, farm stands, and mobile markets are crucial components to a healthy food system. Today, the Department of Agriculture and Markets works with more than 400 farmers markets, 250 farm stands, and 10 mobile market operators. It provides outlets for agricultural producers to meet the rising consumer demand for a variety of fresh, affordable and convenient products grown directly from the farm.