Zero Foodprint and CDFA have partnered to provide Healthy Soil Grants to California Producers

There is no minimum grant amount. The absolute maximum for on-farm practice implementation is $200,000. ZFP encourages smaller projects in the $25,000-$100,000 range. HSP is a reimbursement grant structure, meaning that payments will be made after the practices are implemented (typically on an annual basis).

ZFP supports agricultural projects focused on food production. You may apply for 1-3 of the following conservation practices:

Alley Cropping

Conservation Crop Rotation

No-Till

Cover Crop

Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment

Silvopasture

Field Border

Riparian Forest Buffer

Hedgerow Planting

Forage and Biomass Planting

Prescribed Grazing

Range Planting

Strip-Cropping

Tree/Shrub Establishment

Compost Application on Rangeland

Compost Application on Orchard/Vineyard

Compost Application on Annual Crops

Projects are scored according to a rubric which was created through a collective effort with RCDs. The applicants are judged on a variety of criteria totaling 100 points, listed below with their associated points: Project Logistics (10), Project Design (10), Project Work Plan (10), Conservation Plan (10), Carbon Sequestration and Cost Effectiveness (20), Environmental Co-Benefits (20), Grower Demand and Neglected Opportunity (10), and Economic Efficiency re: Technical Assistance Provider (10).

In addition to these criteria, at least 25% of available funding will go to Socially Disadvantaged Farms and Ranches. Applicants will be approved on a rolling basis.

Invoices must include details of staff activity, receipts for project expenditures, etc. Travel reimbursements must be within the state rate. Each invoice must be tied to a project and be submitted with project verification documents. Invoices should be uploaded through the RCD portal. Please submit all of your invoices to ZFP within 30 days of the end of the quarter.

Reimbursements are provided on an annual basis, with proof of practice implementation. Farms and ranches that indicate financial need may be eligible for accelerated payments. As part of the contract signing process, we will request a W9 from every farmer/rancher. ZFP’s preferred payment method is ACH transfer.

We will be accepting new projects on a rolling monthly basis until January 2025 (or until funds run out). Projects are due for review on the first Thursday of each month. The following Monday, we will have a review session with RCDs to provide transparency on our scoring process. Please subscribe to our calendar above to stay up to date with our meetings and deadlines.

Within a few days we will notify you of approved projects. You will have a week to submit a RePlan report and signed Letter of Confirmation for each project for review by CDFA. We anticipate getting final approval from CDFA within two weeks of our submission. Then we will sign contracts and growers can begin practice implementation.

CDFA has different reporting requirements for different practices. They can be found here. After a project receives CDFA approval, we will send the reporting requirements for each project as a part of their HSP Contract.

If one of your practices includes purchased compost, please purchase it from a certified facility. For a list of certified compost vendors in California, view our list of Compliant Facilities.

For additional questions, you can reach out to Katya Forsyth at katya(at)zerofoodprint.org