About Black Farmer Fund
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.
What Black Farmer Fund Funds
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.
How Black Farmer Fund Gives
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.