Pie Ranch, a 27-acre agricultural nonprofit in Pescadero, Calif., is a certified organic, regenerative farm as well as foodservice education center that employs young people on the land and makes healthy food accessible to San Francisco Bay Area communities.
As one of The FruitGuys Community Fund 2024 grant recipients, Pie Ranch received a $2,135 grant to create compost bins, install a drip irrigation system and buy seeds and plantings for a pollinator hedgerow at the Pescadero Middle/High School garden site. In total, the fund awarded $85,328 in grants to 20 small farms and agricultural nonprofits from 16 different states in 2024, according to the company.
The FruitGuys says small farms such as Pie Ranch are the backbone of sustainable agriculture, but they often face resource challenges when implementing eco-friendly practices. The FruitGuys Community Fund, which began in 2008 with farm sustainability projects, expanded into a nonprofit in 2012 to support a broader range of farms.
The fund has provided grants for various sustainable practices including pest control, water management and educational programs. Grants have been awarded in 38 states and Puerto Rico, addressing diverse environmental and farm-specific challenges, the company says. The fund provides grants of $5,000 or less to farms and organizations working to enhance sustainability and community impact.
The FruitGuys started in 1998, delivering fruit to workplaces across the U.S. Rather than waste food that couldn’t be used, the company began donating to those in need.
“Those early initiatives solidified our mission,” said Erin Mittelstaedt, CEO for The FruitGuys. “Then we had farms we were working with and buying from who were speaking about projects to help their farms increase sustainability. So in 2008, we began farm stewardship projects for the farms we worked with — really fun projects such as helping install beehives or installing bat boxes, because bats are a natural source of pest management. We installed owls for the same reason.”
After working with farms the company had existing relationships with, Mittelstaedt said that by 2012 the company wanted to add farms outside its network in an effort to reach more farms, so it started The FruitGuys Community Fund.
Small farm recipients
The grants have supported a range of sustainability initiatives like installing pest control mesh, solar panels and drip irrigation. Mittelstaedt says the funds have helped with projects such as urban farms in Detroit and Chicago, an apiary in Oregon dealing with a virus and a farm in Tulsa focused on youth education.
“One grant this year went to a woman-owned apiary in Oregon [that] was dealing with a particular virus, and she needed to get new queen bees that weren’t as susceptible to this virus,” Mittelstaedt said. “So, we’ve really done a wide range of projects.
“The common theme is that all of them have to enhance the sustainability of the farm, whether it’s installing drip irrigation for better water management or solar panels to reduce energy usage,” she added.
Another component is education, Mittelstaedt says. While some of the businesses are for-profit farms, some are community organizations or nonprofits.
“Because of this, a lot of them are doing education for the community around them,” she said. “One example is a farm we did in Tulsa, Okla., and they are focused on youth and have after-school programs and education on nutrition and cooking.
“There’s really a wide range of recipients, but the common theme is, ‘Is it helping the community? Is it helping the planet? And is it helping the farm?’' Mittelstaedt said. “We want the farm to be more sustainable, so things like hoop houses could help farms during growing season that can help them make a little more money — and that helps them stay afloat.”
Getting involved
Mittlesaedt says there are three ways to get involved:
- Apply — The process for farms to apply for grants opens each January. Each grant is for up to $5,000 for sustainability projects. “We receive applications for the month of January, then go through a review process and announce the grants, usually in May,” Mittelstaedt said.
- Volunteer — The volunteer grant review committee includes small farm advocates from the general public. “Help choose next year’s grantees,” Mittelstaedt said.
- Donate — Take an active role in strengthening the success of small sustainable farms. “The FruitGuys gives money to the program, and we also have corporate and individual donors. More money means we can give more grants,” Mittelstaedt said.
Even though these are small grants, Mittelstaedt says they can have a big impact, especially on small farms that may not have the means to apply for bigger grants or get funds elsewhere.
“We want to serve these small farms without it being a big, cumbersome process,” she said. “We want the application process to be fair, but we’re trying to make it as easy as possible [to get help to these small farms].”
Your next read: Family-run company provides fresh solutions for workplace wellness
