Regenerative Farmer Assurance Fund (RFAF)

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About

Launched in 2024 in response to federal reimbursement delays and widening cash-flow gaps for conservation practices, the Regenerative Farmer Assurance Fund (RFAF) was created to ensure that farmers aren’t forced to pause critical soil-health investments when public dollars stall. In its first year, RFAF supported producers navigating delayed USDA programs, frozen payments, and volatile market timelines—demonstrating a need for rapid, flexible capital that aligns with the real timing of agriculture.

Over time, the fund has evolved to reflect the realities on the ground. Round 3 now supports market contracts, practice-linked infrastructure, and emerging regenerative opportunities requiring upfront investment. This model reduces reliance on high-cost, short-term debt and prevents farms from losing momentum during administrative delays.

RFAF is grounded in a regenerative finance approach: dollars circulate through recoupable grants, are repaid when reimbursements arrive, and are redeployed to help the next farmer. The fund becomes more resilient with each cycle, increasing the impact of every philanthropic contribution. Instead of extracting value, RFAF recycles capital, strengthens rural economies, and accelerates the adoption of soil-health practices—all while keeping farmers moving forward.

How RFAF Works:

  1. Apply when a gap emerges
    Farmers submit a short application with documentation showing a delayed reimbursement, signed market contract, or time-sensitive practice-linked need.

  2. Rapid review
    Healing Soils Foundation assesses readiness, timing, regenerative impact, and documentation. We prioritize projects that would face disruption without support.

  3. Flexible, upfront capital
    Approved farmers receive a recoupable grant to keep conservation projects and market commitments on track—without taking on high-interest debt.

  4. Implementation continues
    Farmers purchase inputs, rent equipment, install practice infrastructure, or fulfill contracts with the funds they would otherwise be waiting on.

  5. Repayment when funds arrive
    When the delayed reimbursement or contracted payment is issued, farmers repay the grant. Those dollars are immediately redeployed to support the next producer.

  6. Conversion when funds don’t materialize
    If a validated reimbursement ultimately never arrives despite signed contracts, the grant converts to non-recoupable aid—protecting farmers from carrying additional financial burdens.

  7. Continuous recycling
    This regenerative finance model circulates philanthropic dollars instead of spending them once, accelerating adoption of soil-health practices across the region.

Grant Details

  • Up to $50,000 per farmer, for larger infrastructure grants, farmers are encouraged to reapply as additional funds are needed.

  • Rolling applications – funds are distributed as available.

  • Farmers reimburse the fund if and when their delayed public funding is received.

Who is Eligible?

  • Applicants must:

    • Operate in one of the listed Midwest states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin) .

    • Be certified organic or actively adopting regenerative practices (e.g., cover crops, diverse rotations, reduced tillage, managed grazing, prairie/perennials, buffer strips).

    • Demonstrate a verifiable trigger for the bridge (choose one or more):

      • Documented public reimbursement or grant approval (EQIP, CSP, REAP, CRP, FLSP, etc.).

      • Signed buyer/market contract or purchase order requiring upfront investment.

      • Clear time-sensitive infrastructure need tied to practice adoption with proof of future market.

      • Evidence of emerging market opportunity (e.g., retailer/processor letter of intent) contingent on practice or capacity.

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