Washington Farmland Trust Farm Disaster Relief Fund

Farm Disaster Relief Fund Information & Application

If you would like to access this application form in Spanish, please click here.

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Si desea llenar la solicitud en español, haga clic aquí.

Fund Description

Washington Farmland Trust has created an emergency relief fund to support commercial farms in disaster declared counties impacted by the atmospheric river in December 2025.

These grants, available in amounts up to $5000, are intended to help farms address recovery efforts to support cleanup and repair. Eligible uses include but are not limited to infrastructure repairs, debris cleanup, material losses, farm accessibility, soil and field testing and restoration, and labor.

Application and Funding Timeline

Applications will open on January 20 and close on February 27 and will be reviewed in two rounds.

Round One

Applications received between January 20 - February 6
Applications will be reviewed the week of February 9
Applicants will be notified by email about their application status by close of business on February 16
Funds will be distributed within 7-10 business days of an approval notification

Round Two

Applications received between February 7 - February 27
Applications will be reviewed the week of March 2
Applicants will be notified by email about their application status by close of business on March 9
Funds will be distributed within 7-10 business days of an approval notification

Washington Farmland Trust's goal with this approach is to respond rapidly to urgent recovery needs, while also creating access to this opportunity for as many farms as possible.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to receive funding, your farm must be:

A commercial farm, as defined by: A declared farm business in Washington State (sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation, cooperative, nonprofit); and producing food, fiber, flowers, or other agricultural products for sale or distribution or a farm that offers education and training.
Located in a 2025 atmospheric river disaster declared county.
Impacted by the 2025 atmospheric river flooding or wind events.
Able to clearly demonstrate how you plan to use the funds and agree to use them for repair or recovery related expenses.

This application should take less than 30 minutes to complete if you already have a rough inventory and documentation of your recovery needs. It may take longer if you still need to assess and prioritize your recovery needs and document them.

The amount of funding available is limited, therefore funding awards are not guaranteed. We commit to communicating quickly about our application decisions and to stay in touch about future opportunities as they become available. Thank you for your understanding.

Prioritization and Referrals

To ensure that as much funding gets distributed to as many eligible farms as possible, we are coordinating with partner organizations and prioritizing counties where resources are limited.

Referrals

Washington Farmland Trust may make referrals to other regional funds or emergency relief programs while reviewing applications. These referrals will not affect the status of an application.

There are additional funding opportunities available to farms in disaster-declared counties, which we have compiled on our Flood Relief Resources page. Contact libby reed, Stewardship Manager, at lreed@wafarmlandtrust.org if you have any questions or would like support exploring these additional resources.

Application Review

Round one applications will be reviewed the week of February 9 and applicants notified by February 16. Round two applications will be reviewed the week of March 2 and applicants notified by March 9.

There are three statuses you might receive upon notification: Approved, On Hold, Not Approved.

Approved means that your application will be funded. The notification will inform you of the amount of the funding you will receive and the next steps of the process.
On Hold means that your application will be re-reviewed if more funds become available.
Not Approved means that the necessary criteria to qualify for this funding was not sufficiently met.

Accessibility and Transparency

Language Preference

This application form is currently offered in Spanish as well. There may be funds to translate the document into an additional language. Please reach out to libby reed at lreed@wafarmlandtrust.org to make a language request.

Use of information

The data collected in the form will be used to help determine need and fit with the funding opportunity and will be shared in aggregate as needed with funders for reporting purposes. No identifying information will be shared outside of the review committee unless express consent has been requested by Washington Farmland Trust and given by the applicant.

Awards and Reporting

If you receive an award, save your notification email. It will have all the necessary next steps in it. If your funding application is approved, you will receive a check within 7-10 business days following the notification.

Applicants are encouraged to document the work supported by these funds. A brief summary report will be due by December 1, 2026. Consider taking photographs, if appropriate, to demonstrate completion. Before and after photographs will be the quickest way to complete the report, although a brief written statement will be sufficient.

Application Support
Please reach out to libby reed, Stewardship Manager, at lreed@wafarmlandtrust.org if you have any questions about your application or the application process.

Have you read the application information above? *

Please read the application information page above to understand more about the funding opportunity, criteria, and timeline.