Americana Foundation: Agriculture and Natural Resources Grants

The Americana Foundation offers grants aimed at supporting sustainable agriculture and community food systems in Michigan. Founded by Adolph and Ginger Meyer, the foundation emphasizes the importance of agriculture in American history and seeks to connect communities to local food sources. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations and municipal entities, with a focus on projects that enhance food access and promote ecological sustainability. The foundation prioritizes initiatives that empower underserved communities and address climate resilience.

NOTE: We strongly encourage new applicants to submit a concept letter to help us determine whether your project fits the Foundation's program areas.
Americana Foundation Grant
The Americana Foundation was established by Adolph and Ginger Meyer to support, through philanthropy, their varied personal interests. A Detroit area industrialist, Adolph Meyer believed in the American ideals of hard work and self-reliance and held a deep respect for early American farmers, craftsmen, and artists. Ginger Meyer was an avid gardener, award-winning floral arranger, and an active contributor of time and funds to a variety of charitable causes.
This dedication to education and agriculture includes preservation of their 160-acre historic farmstead in southeast Michigan, Tollgate Farm, which provides unique hands-on learning on a working farm in an urban setting.
The Foundation provides its support mainly through financial grants. Some limited technical assistance in the form of consulting services to the board, staff and volunteers of recipient organizations is available. The technical assistance is provided to assist the recipient group in organizational management and strategic planning.
Program Focus: Agriculture and Natural Resources
Over the years, Americana has supported projects and programs designed to create rural and urban landscapes in Michigan where the community is connected to the food system, land, and nature; where agricultural producers are prosperous and focused on sustainability, and where agriculture and natural resources support public health, diverse business opportunities and livable communities for all.
Geographic Focus: Nonprofit organizations doing work that impacts Michigan are eligible to apply.
Our Current Focus
Our current priority in the Agriculture and Food Systems program area is to support projects and programs that work to transform food systems in Michigan so that they focus on growers, processors, and distributors and provide healthy and culturally appropriate food through ecologically sound and sustainable methods. The goal is for all Michiganders - rural and urban - to be connected to a sustainable local food economy. The program area seeks to benefit those who traditionally have lacked power over and resources to access healthy locally or regionally produced food.
Example Projects
Connecting Michigan farms and food businesses with new markets, consumers, and communities.Empowering Michigan communities to shape the food systems that provide their food.Creating opportunities for small-scale and marginalized Michigan farmers and food businesses.Supporting systems designed to increase access to healthy, culturally appropriate, locally grown food for Michigan communities.Increasing the resilience of the food system in Michigan to the impacts of climate change.

Eligibility

Who is eligible?Nonprofit organizations that have been recognized under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code and are not private foundations.Municipal government entities, such as cities, townships, and villages.Only nonprofit organizations doing work that impacts Michigan are eligible to apply for grants under our Agriculture and Food Systems and Natural Resources program areas.

Ineligibility

Who is ineligible?Private individualsOrganizations that discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, or sexual orientationFor-profit organizationsWe generally do not sponsor events or conferences, buy tickets or tables, contribute to capital projects or campaigns, advertise fund-raising events, or fund research or sabbaticals. We generally do not provide scholarship support. Grants may not be used for political purposes.