Organic Transition Program

Supporting farmers who are making the transition to certified organic agriculture with $30,000+ in direct funding and hands-on guidance.

Applications close October 24th, 2025 at 11:59 PM.

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“Having CAFF hold our hands and provide their technical assistance in our CCOF organic certification application was very helpful. The process - for a small but very diverse family farm - could have been bewildering, but with their oversight we navigated through - and got our certification!”

How to Apply

The application is administered through our online grant management system, Foundant SLM.

Tips for using Foundant:

When the application opens, click the button below and then select “Create New Account” to fill in your information and access the application.
If you already have an account, you should use your existing login info. If you don’t know your log in information, reach out to grace[at]caff.org for help.
Foundant has its own library of tech help resources: https://support.foundant.com/hc/en-us/categories/1500001292601-Grant-Scholarship-Lifecycle-Manager

General Information

The Organic Transition Program (OTP) provides at least $30,000 in direct funding to farmers and ranchers to support their transition to organic agriculture. Grantees can be matched with CAFF staff for technical assistance to help them navigate organic certification and implement organic transition practices. Grantees will also have access to business and marketing technical assistance through this program.

This grant is reimbursement-based. Grantees must purchase eligible items themselves, submit required documentation, and then will be reimbursed by CAFF.

Eligibility for Applicants

To be eligible for this grant, applicants must:
- Be 18 years or older
- Be currently cultivating, operating, or managing a farm for profit in California, either as an owner or tenant
- Be actively transitioning some or all of your land to certified organic production
- Have an Organic System Plan (OSP) or commit to developing one
- Have secure access to the land under transition
- Have at least 1 year of farm income demonstrated through a Schedule F (Form 1040, Profit or Loss from Farming) or similar documentation
University, research, and nonprofit farms are not eligible for assistance
Applicants from underserved and socially disadvantaged communities will be prioritized.
We welcome applicants from the following NOP scopes: agricultural crops and livestock.

Funding Uses

Grantees will receive up to $30,000 in general financial assistance, plus an additional $30,000 for field preparation ($1,000 per acre for up to 30 acres). For example, a 10-acre farm would be eligible for the $30,000 general award and an additional $10,000 for field preparation costs.

All funds must be used within one year of the project start date. Grantees must use funding for eligible purchases only. See below for eligible and ineligible costs:

Allowable Costs:

Organic livestock, poultry, and related expenses, such as animal health management required by organic standards;
Organic feed;
Educational materials, training on organic certification and production, or meeting attendance;
Inspection and certification fees;
On-farm water or soil testing fees;
Outside consultant fees if desired, as for development of an Organic System Plan (OSP);
Farming supplies to be applied to organic farming on the transitioning acres, such as organic-approved plastic mulch;
Farm equipment and repair to that equipment, where equipment is specific or widely preferred for organic farming of the type expected to occur on the transitioning acres
- Qualifying equipment must be drawn from the following list, or authorized by CDFA:
  - Compost production, storage or spreading installations and equipment;
  - Weed management tools such as flamers or tines, tarps, row cover;
  - Transplanting or direct seeding equipment;
  - Intercropping equipment and modifications;
  - IPM-aligned equipment;
  - Other cover-cropping equipment;
  - On-farm processing and distribution equipment (e.g., peelers, coolers, produce washing, sorting and sizing bins, refrigerated vehicles for transporting whole or minimally processed food) where it is applicable to the products expected from transitioning acres.
Organic seeds and starts, including cover crop seeds;
Organic fertilizers;
Organic pest control inputs;
Ecosystem enhancement supplies and equipment (e.g., hedgerows, owl boxes, riparian area protection);
Compost, compost building materials, and similar organic amendments;
“Custom farming” operations (e.g., contracting out to perform planting).

Unallowable Costs:

Property or land rent or lease;
Taxes;
Owner or employee labor;
Inputs for land outside the defined transitioning field(s), or for animals not dependent on the transitioning field(s).

For additional assistance, email Grace at [email protected]

Para ayuda en Español, envíe un email a [email protected]

Funding for this program comes from CDFA’s Organic Transition Pilot Program.