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Grants
The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry administers state and federal grants to provide services, resources and personnel to nonprofit groups, municipalities, and other agencies.
Grant Programs
| Grant Name | Grant Purpose | DACF Bureau |
|---|---|---|
| Dairy Improvement Fund | Open to Maine farms engaged in the commercial production of cow milk or cow milk products. Offers a loan for 75% or 90% of the total cost of a project to make capital improvements that will maintain and enhance the viability the dairy farm and/or dairy enterprise. | Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources |
| Land for Maine's Future | Provides funding for eligible properties that offer superior value for conservation, recreation, agricultural, commercial fishing, or provide needed access to Maine waters. | Bureau of Resource Information and Land Use Planning |
| Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund | Provides funds to conserve wildlife and open spaces through the sale of instant lottery tickets. The Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund Board chooses projects that promote recreation as well as conservation of Maine's special places, endangered species and important fish and wildlife habitat. | Commissioner's Office |
| Coastal Communities Grant | Funds planning, development of regulatory and non-regulatory policies and programs, project implementation, and outreach. Funds may not be used for land acquisition or construction. | Bureau of Resource Information and Land Use Planning |
| Agricultural Development Grant | This program provides cost share grants to conduct Market Promotion, Market Research and Development, Value-Added Processing and New technology Demonstration projects. | Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources |
| Agricultural Marketing Loan Fund | Offers a loan for either 75% or 90% of the total cost of a project for capital improvements for the business. At a favorable 5% interest rate, this program can help save money for agricultural enterprises making improvements. | Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources |
| Farms for the Future Program | Provides selected farms with business planning assistance and investment support to improve viability and profitability of your farm. | Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources |
| Rural Rehabilitation Trust Fund | Dedicated revenue fund to provide scholarships for farm families to assist their children in attending college. | Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources |
| USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program | Funds market research, market promotion and new technology projects specifically to benefit specialty crop producers. Grants are typically provided to projects that help a number of businesses rather than individual businesses. | Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources |
| Federal Excess Property Program | The Maine Forest Service screens Dept. of Defense surplus websites for equipment that can be used by municipal fire departments for wildfire suppression. | Bureau of Forestry |
| Project Canopy | Awards grants to state, county, and municipal governments, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations for developing and implementing shade tree and community forestry projects and programs. | Bureau of Forestry |
| Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) Program | The Maine Forest Service administers the VFA grant program which assists fire departments with purchasing wildland fire equipment and personal protective equipment. This grant requires the towns to match the grant funds dollar for dollar. | Bureau of Forestry |
| WoodsWISE Incentives | Helps Maine's family wood land owners make informed decisions based on stewardship principles about their forests, and thereby encourage the long-term sustainability of Maine's forests. Woodland owners with between 10 and 1000 wooded acres are eligible to apply for cost-share assistance to work with a Stewardship Forester to develop a Stewardship forest management plan. | Bureau of Forestry |
| ATV Grants | The ATV Program awards grants annually to help defray ATV trail construction, development, and maintenance costs to municipalities and registered ATV clubs. | Bureau of Parks and Lands |
| Boating Facilities Fund | Enables private organizations and municipalities to acquire, develop and improve local public boat facilities. | Bureau of Parks and Lands |
| Community Recreation Grants | In addition to responsibilities regarding federal and state grant programs, we serve as a resource for Maine cities and towns in matters related to community recreation. | Bureau of Parks and Lands |
| Land and Water Conservation Fund | Assists federal, state and local governments in the acquisition and/or development of public outdoor recreation facilities. | Bureau of Parks and Lands |
| Maine Trails Fund/Recreational Trails Program | Linking trails, acquiring easements, and maintaining existing trails are just some of the uses of the Recreations Trails Program funds. Each year the Division of Grants and Community Recreation awards grants to non-profit organizations, municipalities, or state agencies. | Bureau of Parks and Lands |
| Snowmobile Grants | The Snowmobile Division awards grants annually to help defray trail construction, maintenance, and equipment costs to municipalities and registered snowmobile clubs. | Bureau of Parks and Lands |
| Logging and Forestry Education Grant | Given the importance of a skilled logging workforce to the sustainable harvest of timber from Maine’s Public Reserved Lands, the purpose of this logging and forestry education grant program is to assist in the development of logging professionals. | Bureau of Parks and Lands |
| Harbor Management and Access Grant for Coastal Waters and Great Ponds | Provides grants up to $15,000 to fund engineering, construction or reconstruction of publicly owned access facilities to coastal waters and Great Ponds. | Bureau of Parks and Lands |
| Community Wildfire Defense Grant | To assist at-risk local communities with planning and mitigating against the threat of wildfire near homes and structures. | Bureau of Forestry |
| Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program | To build resilience across Maine’s middle-of-the-supply food chain. | Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources |