To nurture Black community wealth & health by investing in Black agricultural systems in the Northeast.
Black Farmer Fund Inc’s recent grantmaking is built around one clear pattern: large, flexible capital for Black agricultural and food-system businesses in the Northeast, paired with technical support and relationship-building. In 2025, the foundation made several six-figure grants through its BFF 2.0 program, including $650,000 to Edenesque, $625,000 to Paradise Express Ferry, $400,000 to Sweetwater Holdings, and $250,000 to Nourrir Drinks. Those awards sit alongside smaller emergency and ecosystem grants, showing a mix of business growth support and shorter-term stabilization. The foundation’s work centers on Black community wealth and health through agricultural systems, food systems, and Black-owned food businesses. Its recent grants reach operating businesses as well as field-building organizations, such as Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and Open Space Institute in New York City. The grant list also includes support for service infrastructure tied to Black agriculture, including a safe house grant to Trinity Farm in Clintondale, New York. Across the recent record, the foundation backs both individual enterprises and the broader ecosystem they depend on.
Business development is a major part of the foundation’s grantmaking. It gave $650,000 to Edenesque in Buffalo, New York, and $147,000 to Brooklyn Packers in Brooklyn, New York, through BFF 2.0 grants that support Black agricultural and food businesses. The funder also supports food-system and beverage businesses. Recent grants include $625,000 to Paradise Express Ferry in New York, New York, and $250,000 to Nourrir Drinks in the Bronx, New York, again through BFF 2.0 grants. Ecosystem strengthening is another visible thread. In 2024, Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, received $122,000 as an ecosystem grant, following a $48,500 ecosystem grant in 2023. The foundation also made a $8,000 ecosystem grant to Open Space Institute in New York, New York.
Recent grants show a wide spread in size, from a median of $11,890 to a p25 of $9,500 and a p75 of $128,250. The largest awards are much higher, with several BFF 2.0 grants in the six-figure range. The record also shows repeated support to some recipients across years, including Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust, Trinity Farm, Big Dream Farm, and The Black Yard Collective. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards. The foundation’s active programs include interest-formatted access to BFF Fund 2.0, a Rapid Response Fund, and an integrated capital fund combining grants, low-interest community notes, technical support, and relationship-building.
Current and upcoming funding from Black Farmer Fund that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Food businesses in the Northeast that strengthen the Black agricultural ecosystem and practice community wealth, economic justice, ecological wellbeing, and community orientation. Funding is determined case by case based on available capital and the entrepreneur's needs.
$2.3M
$26.5M
$12.4M
$5.6M
Most grants fall between $10K and $128K, with a median of $12K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$12K
75th Percentile
$128K
About 71% of grants go to recipients in NY.
CONNIE EVANS
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Grant dollars are concentrated in New York recipients, which account for 71% of grants and represent the top state by grant count. Within the state, awards reach Buffalo, New York City, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Winchester, and several upstate communities including Pittsfield, Clintondale, Saugerties, Jeffersonville, Germantown, New Paltz, Niagara Falls, Freeville, and Sloansville. Outside New York, recent grants also land in Hartford, Vermont; New Haven, Connecticut; Pennington, New Jersey; Arnold, Pennsylvania; and Lewiston, Maine. All recent grants in the provided list are in the US.
The foundation supports Black agricultural and food-system businesses, Black-owned food businesses, and ecosystem organizations tied to that work. Recent grants include business support through BFF 2.0, ecosystem grants to Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust and Open Space Institute, and a safe house grant to Trinity Farm.
Yes. It runs a BFF Rapid Response Fund for Black-owned farming and food businesses facing one-time emergencies or sudden crises, and its recent grants include Rapid Response Fund and Emergency Support Fund awards such as $15,000 to Big Dream Farm and $10,000 to Farm Fresh Caribbean.
The median grant size is $11,890, with a p25 of $9,500 and a p75 of $128,250. The recent record includes much larger BFF 2.0 awards as well, such as $650,000 to Edenesque and $625,000 to Paradise Express Ferry.
New York is the top state by grant count, and 71% of grants in the provided record go to recipients in the HQ state. Recent New York recipients include Buffalo, New York City, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and several upstate communities.
Yes. The active program list says BFF Fund 2.0 (Integrated Capital Fund), BFF Rapid Response Fund, and BFF Fund 2.0 (Interest Form) accept unsolicited submissions, with one listed as Interest/LOI and another as an Interest Form.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EDENESQUE | BUFFALO, NY | $650,000 | 2025 | BFF 2.0 GRANTS |
| PARADISE EXPRESS FERRY | NEW YORK, NY | $625,000 | 2025 | BFF2.0 GRANTS |
| SWEETWATER HOLDINGS | WINCHESTER, NY | $400,000 | 2025 | BFF2.0 GRANTS |
| NOURRIR DRINKS | BRONX, NY | $250,000 | 2025 | BFF2.0 GRANTS |
| GLOBAL VILLAGE FOODS | HARTFORD, VT | $187,500 | 2025 | BFF 2.0 GRANTS |
| BROOKLYN PACKERS | BROOKLYN, NY | $147,000 | 2025 | BFF2.0 GRANTS |
| NORTHEAST FARMERS OF COLOR LAND TRUST | PITTSFIELD, MA | $122,000 | 2024 | ECOSYSTEM GRANT |
| TRINITY FARM | CLINTONDALE, NY | $36,600 | 2024 | SAFE HOUSE GRANT |
| OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE | NEW YORK, NY | $8,000 | 2024 | ECOSYSTEM GRANT |
| TOMIA MACQUEEN WILDFLOWER HOMESTEAD LLC | PENNINGTON, NJ | $7,491 | 2024 | RAPID RESPONSE FUND |
| OMASOMBO KATUKAOK COMMUNITY FARM LLC | LEWISTON, ME | $6,000 | 2024 | RAPID RESPONSE FUND |
| NORTHEAST FARMERS OF COLOR LAND TRUST | PITTSFIELD, MA | $48,500 | 2023 | ECOSYSTEM GRANT |
| LIBERATION FARM | JEFFERSONVILLE, NY | $15,000 | 2023 | RAPID RESPONSE FUND |
| BIG DREAM FARM | SAUGERTIES, NY | $15,000 | 2023 | RAPID RESPONSE FUND |
| SWEET FREEDOM FARM | GERMANTOWN, NY | $13,780 | 2023 | RAPID RESPONSE FUND |
| ROCKY ACRES COMMUNITY FARM | FREEVILLE, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUND |
| FARM FRESH CARIBBEAN | NEW PALTZ, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUND |
| TRINITY FARM | CLINTONDALE, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUND |
| BIG DREAM FARM | SAUGERTIES, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUND |
| ROOT LIFE LLC | NEW HAVEN, CT | $10,000 | 2023 | RAPID RESPONSE FUND |
| 716 CBD | NIAGARA FALLS, NY | $10,000 | 2023 | EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUND |
| THE BLACK YARD COLLECTIVE | SLOANSVILLE, NY | $8,000 | 2023 | EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUND |
| VEGGIEHOUSE FARM LLC | ARNOLD, PA | $6,079 | 2023 | RAPID RESPONSE FUND |
| THE BLACK YARD COLLECTIVE | SLOANSVILLE, NY | $5,500 | 2023 | DISCRETIONARY FUNDS |
EDENESQUE
$650,000BFF 2.0 GRANTS
PARADISE EXPRESS FERRY
$625,000BFF2.0 GRANTS
SWEETWATER HOLDINGS
$400,000BFF2.0 GRANTS
NOURRIR DRINKS
$250,000BFF2.0 GRANTS
GLOBAL VILLAGE FOODS
$187,500BFF 2.0 GRANTS
BROOKLYN PACKERS
$147,000BFF2.0 GRANTS
NORTHEAST FARMERS OF COLOR LAND TRUST
ECOSYSTEM GRANT
TRINITY FARM
$36,600SAFE HOUSE GRANT
OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE
$8,000ECOSYSTEM GRANT
TOMIA MACQUEEN WILDFLOWER HOMESTEAD LLC
$7,491RAPID RESPONSE FUND
OMASOMBO KATUKAOK COMMUNITY FARM LLC
$6,000RAPID RESPONSE FUND
NORTHEAST FARMERS OF COLOR LAND TRUST
$48,500ECOSYSTEM GRANT
LIBERATION FARM
$15,000RAPID RESPONSE FUND
BIG DREAM FARM
$15,000RAPID RESPONSE FUND
SWEET FREEDOM FARM
$13,780RAPID RESPONSE FUND
ROCKY ACRES COMMUNITY FARM
$10,000EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUND
FARM FRESH CARIBBEAN
$10,000EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUND
TRINITY FARM
$10,000EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUND
BIG DREAM FARM
$10,000EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUND
ROOT LIFE LLC
$10,000RAPID RESPONSE FUND
716 CBD
$10,000EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUND
THE BLACK YARD COLLECTIVE
$8,000EMERGENCY SUPPORT FUND
VEGGIEHOUSE FARM LLC
$6,079RAPID RESPONSE FUND
THE BLACK YARD COLLECTIVE
$5,500DISCRETIONARY FUNDS
