PORTLAND – A nonprofit formed to help farmers and school districts coping with cuts in federal subsidies by the Trump Administration has just secured $99,000 to fund its work.

Farm to Neighbor Maine announced last week that it had secured a $99,000 New England Food Vision Prize from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation. The award is one of three the nationwide foundation awarded to recipients in Maine in June.

"It’s an honor for Farm to Neighbor Maine to be recognized and supported by the Kendall Foundation,” said Silvan Shawe, executive director of Cultivating Community, one of the groups that helped found the nonprofit in May. “We are incredibly grateful for their rapid support.”

Cultivating Community is one of seven Maine-based farming organizations and community groups that came together to form Farm to Neighbor Maine. All seven used to receive funding through the USDA’s Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program (LFPA), but that funding dried up this spring when the Trump Administration and DOGE cut off the subsidies. The cuts were part of a broader slashing of federal funding nationwide, touted by the administration as necessary to trim fat from the budget.

At the time, local farmers and Maine school district nutrition directors said the loss of funding was leading in part to school districts having to cancel partnerships with local farms. That meant potentially hurting the small businesses running the farms, and forcing school districts to use less fresh and more processed foods from out of state.

In a statement, Farm to Neighbor Maine also said it works “to expand local food access for vulnerable people, support underserved and BIPOC farmers, and contribute to a resilient agricultural economy and community.”

Colleen Hanlon-Smith, co-owner of Daybreak Growers Alliance (another of the seven groups that formed Farm to Neighbor), said the award represents just the start of work to compensate for the loss of federal funding.

“In the near term, we must fundraise for this season’s farm products now that the LFPA funding has been cancelled,” she said in a statement. “Reimbursing the farms for their work, purchasing the products, and making the food available to Maine’s most vulnerable populations this season is our immediate focus. We are asking for the public's support to give what they can give to help us bring in the harvest and feed our neighbors in need.”  

The funding will assist Farm to Neighbor Maine’s work with partner organizations and 10 school districts throughout the state.

The organization wrote that it is still seeking more than $500,000, and “actively seeks donors, sponsors and business partners.”

Anyone wishing to donate may learn more by visiting the organization’s website.