ACCELERATOR MINI-GRANT PROGRAM

Four Bellies Farm (2020-2021 Accelerator Cohort), photo by Jenna Shea Photojournalism

Farmers come through our doors striving to build a successful career in agriculture. 

They want to feed their neighbors, steward the land, possibly continue a family tradition of farming, enjoy a good quality of life, and care for their rural communities. We’ve seen many of these farmers succeed, but we’ve also seen many people begin farming only to quit after a few years. Why? 

Farming is a business and as with all businesses, there are benchmarks for growth.  

These benchmarks signify pivotal moments when a small to medium-sized farm needs strategic investment to either scale up or evolve their business from day-to-day survival mode to true sustainability. While commodity agriculture uses one-size-fits-all solutions, small, diversified farm businesses need a more tailored approach. This means that oftentimes critical services are out of reach. 

The Georgia Organics Farmer Accelerator Program launched in 2020 in order to fill these gaps by combining personalized expert coaching with on-farm capital investments for small to medium-sized diversified farms. With the intention of growing the vitality and resiliency of Georgia farms and improving the quality of life for its farmers, a cohort of Accelerator farmers received coaching in the fields of accounting, business and finance, profit analysis, loans and leasing, production, and employee management. Each Accelerator farm also received strategic financial support to offset the costs of infrastructure, continued education, employee stipends, healthcare costs, and climate-resilient investments. 

As of December 2024, Georgia Organics has moved 25 farms through the program. These farms collectively represent $241,250 in strategic capital investments, as well as $50,000 and over 500 hours in one-on-one coaching support. Many of these farmers scaled up their operations, hired their first full-time employees, and came fully online with their finances, all significant benchmarks for a business.

The 2025 Accelerator Mini-Grant Program is an adaptation of the cohort model started in 2020. 

Accelerator will now be conducted using an award process through mini-grants covering three thematic pillars of farmer prosperity: Business Development, Capacity Building, and Climate Resiliency.  

The 2025 Accelerator Mini-Grant Program will support these thematic pillars through Coaching Mini-Grants and Strategic Capital Mini-Grants.

2025 Accelerator Mini-Grant Program Details
Coaching Mini-Grant Strategic Capital Mini-Grant

  • Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis from July 22 – October 1. Funds are limited and awarded on a first come, first served basis, so early submission is encouraged.

  • Coaching support includes one-on-one consulting with a coach(es) of your choice. If you don’t have a preferred coach, Georgia Organics will find one for you.

  • Coaching awards require a minimum of 3 hours working with a coach, and can reach up to a $1,000 spending cap.

  • A minimum of 10 farms will be awarded.

  • Farm owners and farm workers are eligible to apply.

  • No county-specific prioritization.

  • Awardees will receive funds via direct payments to coaches.

  • Awardees must begin spending down the mini-grant within 1 month of their award notice.

  • Awards must be spent by November 15, 2025.

  • Post-award reporting (such as a survey or short report) is required. 

  • Application period will be open July 22 – August 22; applications will be reviewed and awardees will be notified by August 29.

  • Strategic Capital support can include infrastructure improvements or new builds, equipment, labor, marketing, production supplies, etc. (We will not accept applications for operating costs, such as rent or utilities.)

  • Applicants can request a mini-grant of $1,500 or $3,000. Selected farms are not guaranteed the full amount of funds they request.

  • A minimum of 10 farms will be awarded.

  • Only farm owners are eligible to apply.

  • Due to our funder's requirements, only farms in specific counties are eligible to apply. Additionally, priority will be given to farms outside metro-Atlanta counties. Scroll to the FAQs below for the list of eligible counties.

  • Awardees can receive funds up-front or as a reimbursement.

  • Awards must be spent by November 29, 2025.

  • Post-award reporting (such as a survey or short report) is required. 

Ideal farmer candidates Must fit all of the following criteria: 

  • Are a part-time or full-time farmer based in Georgia

  • Are selling products 

  • Are a soil-based farmer with a soil-based operation 

  • Are using sustainable, organic farming practices 

  • Are a Georgia Organics Farmer Member (membership can be acquired after award notification) 

Ideal farmer candidates fit most or all of the following criteria: 

  • Currently lease or own land

  • Have at least two years of farming experience

  • Have a commitment to climate resiliency and community building

  • Have knowledge of on-farm record keeping and accounting and currently have systems in place

  • Have clear farm goals and intended outcomes in mind

  • Have an interest in continued agricultural education   

  • Are ready to use mini-grant funds in the next 1-3 months

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • Yes, you can apply for both the Coaching Mini-Grant and the Strategic Capital Mini-Grant, but you can only submit one application for each. You can request to work with one or multiple coaches in your Coaching application. However, you can only request to fund one project or purchase in your Strategic Capital application. Applying for both mini-grants does not increase or decrease your chances of being selected. Each application will be reviewed independently and considered on its own merits. We encourage you to be intentional in deciding which mini-grant(s) to apply for by considering which would have the most meaningful impact for your farm and what makes sense to execute within the timing confines of the mini-grant. 

  • Coaching applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. You can expect to hear back from the Georgia Organics team within 1-2 weeks of submitting your application. 

    Strategic Capital applications will be reviewed after the application deadline on August 22. You can expect to hear back from the Georgia Organics team by August 29. 

  • Coaching Mini-Grant funds will be directly paid to your coach by Georgia Organics; you will not receive the funds directly. This means you do not need to submit receipts or invoices for the funds. 

    Strategic Capital Mini-Grant funds can be received up-front or as a reimbursement. You will need to submit proof of purchase documentation, receipt(s), and/or invoice(s) within 30 days of purchase (for reimbursements) or make your purchase within 30 days of having funds deposited into your account via ACH (for funds received up-front), unless otherwise specified in your communication with Georgia Organics. 

  • Yes! The 2025 Accelerator Mini-Grant Program is an adaptation of the previous Accelerator program. Accelerator is no longer a cohort-model program and is now a mini-grant program. Previous Accelerator cohort farmers are eligible to apply for a mini-grant. 

  • Coaching Mini-Grants do not have county-specific eligibility requirements and will not be prioritized by county. 

    For the Strategic Capital Mini-Grant, only applicants from the following counties are eligible to apply: 

    • Barrow, Bartow, Bibb, Bulloch, Carroll, Catoosa, Chatham, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Cobb, Coffee, Columbia, Coweta, Dawson, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Floyd, Forsyth, Fulton, Glynn, Gordon, Greene, Gwinnett, Hall, Harris, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Laurens, Liberty, Lumpkin, Muscogee, Newton, Paulding, Richmond, Rockdale, Spalding, Sumter, Walton, Washington, Whitfield  

    • Additionally, priority will be given to farms outside metro-Atlanta counties, per our funder's requirements. 

  • Yes, you can still apply for the Strategic Capital Mini-Grant; the mini-grant can be used to support a portion of a larger project or purchase. However, you can only submit one Strategic Capital application and can only request to fund one project or purchase in your application.

  • If you’re already working with a coach or consultant, or have someone in mind, you can include that information in your coaching application. If awarded the mini-grant, Georgia Organics will follow-up with you, connect with the coach, and arrange your mini-grant award to pay them directly based on their hourly rate. 

    If you don’t have a coach or consultant in mind, you’ll have the opportunity in your coaching application to share your farm goals and the key areas where you want support. If awarded the mini-grant, Georgia Organics will identify a coach from our network whose expertise aligns with your needs, pair you with them with your approval, and arrange your mini-grant award to pay them directly based on their hourly rate. 

  • Georgia Organics reserves the right to partially fund requests based on need, available funding, and the response from the overall applicant pool. Coaching Mini-Grants will be awarded up to $1,000. For Strategic Capital Mini-Grants, you may request either $1,500 or $3,000. If selected, you'll be informed of your final award amount and can decide whether to accept the mini-grant at that time.

  • Coaching Mini-Grants need to be spent by November 15, 2025, or the awardee forfeits the funds. 

    Strategic Capital Mini-Grants need to be spent by November 29, 2025, or the awardee forfeits the funds. 

Click below to learn more and apply for a 2025 Accelerator Mini-Grant! 

OPEN NOW! Apply now through Oct. 1, 2025 *awarding immediately

OPEN NOW! Apply by Aug. 22, 2025 *awarding by Aug. 29, 2025

CHECK OUT OUR PAST ACCELERATOR FARMERS!

Visit the Accelerator Alumni Gallery to view the past 2020, 2021, and 2022 farmer cohorts and see where they are located in Georgia!