Business
Washington Farmland Trust Awarded $400,000 Grant From KeyBank Foundation To Help Farmers Grow and Thrive
Transformational grant will accelerate program designed to help farmers build viable businesses. SEATTLE, WA / ACCESS Newswire / May 13, 2025 /Washington Farmland Trust, a nonprofit that protects threatened farmland and supports farmers across the ...
About this update from Keycorp
[{"type":"text","content":"Transformational grant will accelerate program designed to help farmers build viable businesses.","length":96,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"SEATTLE, WA / ACCESS Newswire / May 13, 2025 / Washington Farmland Trust, a nonprofit that protects threatened farmland and supports farmers across the state, has received a $400,000 grant from the KeyBank Foundation.","length":217,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Funds from the grant will support the organization's Farm to Farmer program, which helps farmers find land, access resources, and thrive as business owners and stewards of the land. This is the largest private grant this program has received to date. The program has a special focus on assisting farmer collectives in gaining long-term tenure of farmland, a model that leverages collective expertise and resources to allow farmers to build viable businesses and secure land affordably. The collective model is greater than the sum of its parts, empowering farmers to work together to overcome challenges and achieve shared goals.","length":633,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"The Farm to Farmer program offers dedicated support for farmer collectives through all stages of formation and organizational development, working through the funding and land acquisition process and bringing together networks of like-minded individuals.","length":254,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":""At KeyBank, our mission is to help the communities we serve thrive," said Brian Marlow, KeyBank's Washington State Market President. "The Farm to Farmer program is a vital step toward creating a food system that benefits everyone, where local farmers can come together to build sustainable businesses as they provide fresh, healthy food to their neighbors."","length":382,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":""Through my role supporting farmer collectives at Washington Farmland Trust and as a farmer myself, I know first-hand how difficult it is to farm. Collective farming models offer a solution to the isolation, land access challenges, and affordability concerns that so many farmers face. I am deeply grateful to this multi-year grant from the KeyBank Foundation so that we can keep supporting this important work." Alex Machado, Farmer Collectives Manager, Washington Farmland Trust.","length":491,"ta...