$50,000 Braiding Seeds Fellowship

Organization: Soul Fire Farm Institute

Type: Fellowship

Location: United States (northeast and southeast)

Deadline: September 25, 2026

Funding: Fully Funded

Soul Fire Farm Institute runs this 18 month programme for beginning farmers and land stewards of colour along the Atlantic corridor of the United States, in partnership with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives and Land Assistance Fund. Ten fellows are chosen for each cohort and every one receives a stipend of 50,000 US dollars, mentorship from experienced legacy farmers, and coaching on farm finance and business planning. Twelve applicants who are not selected as fellows are awarded seed grants of 2,500 US dollars instead, so a strong application that misses the cut is not wasted. **What you get:** - A stipend of 50,000 US dollars across the 18 months of the fellowship - One to one mentorship from experienced legacy farmers, who are paid honoraria by the programme - Individualised coaching, plus regular one to one check in meetings with fellowship staff - Workshops and hands on support with farm finance and business planning - Online and in person cohort gatherings for networking and professional development - Optional land finding services to help you secure a lease, deed or other form of tenure - If you are not selected as a fellow, a chance at one of 12 seed grants of 2,500 US dollars, to be spent by December 2027 **What you'll do:** - Farm as your main work, averaging at least 20 hours a week on your own project through the growing season - Complete at least 50 hours of professional development over the 18 months, chosen from a menu the programme provides - Attend online and in person cohort gatherings - Meet fellowship staff for regular one to one check ins - Give feedback and suggestions that shape future years of the programme - In the first months, the 20 hours a week can go to land finding, crop planning and supply sourcing rather than growing **Key dates:** - Applications close September 25, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST - All applicants notified of decisions on or before December 18, 2026 - Cohort 5 runs January 15, 2027 to June 15, 2028 - Seed grant recipients must spend their funds down by December 2027 **More information:** - The programme page carries the full FAQ, a non fillable PDF preview of the application, and Spanish language versions of both - Applicants can book one 30 minute application technical assistance session with one of four named assistants - A recording and slides from the August 13, 2026 application information session are linked from the programme page - Questions go to braidingseeds@soulfirefarm.org, including access concerns or hardship completing a written application - The selection rubric and the list of partner organisations on the selection committee are published in full on the programme page

Soul Fire Farm InstituteFellowship

$50,000 Braiding Seeds Fellowship

This one has closed

Archived

Opportunity type

Fellowship

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

United States

Deadline

Archived

About this opportunity

What you get:

A stipend of 50,000 US dollars across the 18 months of the fellowship
One to one mentorship from experienced legacy farmers, who are paid honoraria by the programme
Individualised coaching, plus regular one to one check in meetings with fellowship staff
Workshops and hands on support with farm finance and business planning
Online and in person cohort gatherings for networking and professional development
Optional land finding services to help you secure a lease, deed or other form of tenure
If you are not selected as a fellow, a chance at one of 12 seed grants of 2,500 US dollars, to be spent by December 2027

What you'll do:

Farm as your main work, averaging at least 20 hours a week on your own project through the growing season
Complete at least 50 hours of professional development over the 18 months, chosen from a menu the programme provides
Attend online and in person cohort gatherings
Meet fellowship staff for regular one to one check ins
Give feedback and suggestions that shape future years of the programme
In the first months, the 20 hours a week can go to land finding, crop planning and supply sourcing rather than growing

Key dates:

Applications close September 25, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST
All applicants notified of decisions on or before December 18, 2026
Cohort 5 runs January 15, 2027 to June 15, 2028
Seed grant recipients must spend their funds down by December 2027

More information:

The programme page carries the full FAQ, a non fillable PDF preview of the application, and Spanish language versions of both
Applicants can book one 30 minute application technical assistance session with one of four named assistants
A recording and slides from the August 13, 2026 application information session are linked from the programme page
Questions go to braidingseeds@soulfirefarm.org, including access concerns or hardship completing a written application
The selection rubric and the list of partner organisations on the selection committee are published in full on the programme page

Who can apply

Aged 18 or over
Black, Indigenous and/or a person of colour
Based in one of: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia
At least one year of farming or land stewardship experience
No more than three years running your own farm or land stewardship project
Producing at a scale that can support a wider community, not only your own household and immediate family and friends
Farming regeneratively, organically, sustainably, biologically, agroecologically, Afro-ecologically, using permaculture, or transitioning towards those methods. Organic certification is not required
You do not need to hold land already, but you should be land ready with a clear plan for starting your operation and ideally leads on land to use
The application asks you to upload three references, one letter of recommendation, a photo of yourself, a photo or drawing of your farm or land project, and a detailed budget
The fellowship is conducted primarily in English, though the application is available in Spanish

AI Verification

✓ AI Verified

Our AI read the official sources and cross-checked the key facts. Here is what held up, and what it could not confirm.

This opportunity is run by an established organization, and we confirmed its key details against the official source. As always, never share sensitive personal or financial information until you are sure a request is genuine.

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Cross-checked 22 of 22 key facts

Confirmed Our best read Not stated

Good to know

+Ten fellows get $50,000 each over eighteen months, paid to you rather than to a school or a project budget
+Even if you are not selected, twelve applicants receive $2,500 seed grants, so the application is not all or nothing
+Comes with mentorship, business coaching, farm finance workshops and help finding land
+Run by Soul Fire Farm with the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, both long established in Black and Indigenous farming
+Free to apply

Worth checking yourself

!You must be farming in one of twenty US states or Washington DC. Check the list before you start, because it is a hard requirement and it covers only the northeast and southeast
!You need between one and three years of farming experience. Complete beginners and established farmers are both outside the window
!The cohort runs 15 January 2027 to 15 June 2028, so this is an eighteen month commitment starting in the new year
!There is no upper age limit, so you will be competing against applicants well beyond their twenties

Sources checked

SOsoulfirefarm.orgApplySOsoulfirefarm.orgApplyFOform.jotform.comOfficialDOdocs.google.comOfficialDRdrive.google.comOfficial

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