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Applying for the Farmland Partnership Program
Announced in February 2025, the Massachusetts Farmland Partnership Program (MFPP) is a new grant program to help implement the Massachusetts Farmland Action Plan (MFAP) at the local, regional or statewide level.
The goal of the program is to build networks of Partners who work together collaboratively and in coordination to protect farmland, enhance farm viability, and ensure access to farmland.
This will be achieved by providing funding to eligible partners to work with farmers, farmland owners, agricultural service providers, municipalities and others to protect farmland, enhance farm viability, and ensure access to farmland, as well as coordinate and collaborate between partners as a cohort.
The deadline for applications though a Request for Responses (RFR) was May 19, 2025. The following information was shared during for this RFR.
Who can apply?
This grant program focuses on providing funding to partners rather than individual farmers. A partner is an entity/organization that can help implement tasks within the Plan. This can include a variety of public, private, non-profit and for-profit entities. Since 2024 there have been many conversations with potential partners about how they could get involved with implementation of the Farmland Action Plan and it’s not not too late to get involved!
Review the RFR and related materials
The Request for Response (RFR) provides a comprehensive summary of grant evaluation criteria, review timelines, award recipient expectations, eligible uses of grant funds, and examples of projects.
- View the RFR in COMMBUYS which includes 4 file attachments.
All proposed activities must be clearly tied to a specific task(s) in the Farmland Action Plan Implementation Matrix. The proposed activity cannot just be inspired by a strategy or action – it must be aligned with a specific task, which includes following the intent of the specific action and strategy under which the task is listed.
The following documents are important to review alongside the RFR:
There were two webinars which covered different content.
- Webinar 1 – Presentation slides, video, Q&A responses (see below)
- Webinar 2 – Presentation slides, video, Q&A responses (see below)
There were two rounds of questions for potential applicants:
- Round 1 Questions and Answers Document - Published 3/27/2025
- Round 2.1 Questions and Answers Document - Published 3/28/2025
- Round 2.2 Questions and Answers Document - Published 4/25/2025
Submitting your application and what to expect after
Click here to sign up for the Farmland Action Plan newsletter, which will include some additional emails related to this grant opportunity.
1. MDAR reviews your application
MDAR will evaluate all applications submitted by the deadline and will makes award decisions based on the eligibility and evaluation criteria specified in the Request for Response (RFR).
2. Sign a grant agreement with MDAR
If your organization is selected to receive a grant MDAR will issue you an award letter and contract documents that specify the terms and conditions of your award. You will need to sign a Standard Contract with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and a Grant Agreement with MDAR before starting any work or making any purchases related to the project.
3. Complete work associated with contract, including deliverables
In addition to the scope proposed by applicants, all partners are required to complete several regular deliverables as outlined in the RFR – reporting, performance indicators, coordination and check in meetings, cohort meetings, and other reporting and deliverable requirements.