Vermont Farm Fund

What Vermont Farm Fund does

Vermont Farm Fund (VFF) is a nonprofit revolving loan fund founded in 2011 as a program of The Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE), headquartered in Hardwick, Vermont. It provides small-dollar credit exclusively to Vermont-based farmers and food producers through three programs: Emergency Loans of up to $15,000 at 0% interest for crisis recovery; Business Builder Loans at 3% interest for farm business growth and capital investment; and New Producer Loans targeted at beginning farmers. The organization is staffed by 1-10 employees and operates within a defined Vermont agricultural ecosystem rather than as a statewide or national lender.

Over approximately a decade of operation, VFF has disbursed more than $2 million in loans across 80+ documented Vermont farm cases. Its disaster-response lending has been activated multiple times, including after Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and subsequent flooding events, positioning it as a counter-cyclical capital source for Vermont's small farm sector. Partnerships with Vermont Land Trust, Vermont Farm Viability, NRCS, and the Working Lands Initiative provide referral channels and co-funding capacity.

Revenue mechanics are consistent with a revolving nonprofit loan fund: interest income on Business Builder Loans at 3% APR is the primary earned revenue stream, with Emergency Loans contributing only principal recycling due to the 0% rate. Philanthropic contributions and state-level program support likely supplement earned revenue, but the input does not disclose fundraising totals. Geographic restriction to Vermont is structural and limits addressable market growth, while the CAE parent affiliation and embedded partner network shape its distribution model as community-based rather than commercial.

Name

Vermont Farm Fund

Legal name

Vermont Farm Fund

Website

https://vtfarmfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vermont Farm Fund is a nonprofit revolving loan fund, founded in 2011 under The Center for an Agricultural Economy, that provides Emergency, Business Builder, and New Producer loans exclusively to Vermont-based farmers and food producers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Community Lending

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153), Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB), Capacity Building & Nonprofit Infrastructure Funders (BPAGAKAO)

Keywords

• Agricultural lending
• Revolving loan fund
• Emergency farm loans
• Nonprofit microfinance
• Rural community lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Hardwick

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Loan Interest Income: VFF operates as a revolving loan fund where loans are made to Vermont farmers and food producers. The fund generates revenue through interest on loans (Business Builder loans at 3% interest), and as borrowers repay loans, funds replenish for the next cycle of borrowers. Emergency loans are offered at 0% interest for disaster relief.
2. Donations: VFF accepts donations to support emergency loans for farmers affected by flooding. Donations directly enable the fund to make Emergency Loans up to $15,000 at 0% interest.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Vermont Farm Fund is a nonprofit revolving loan fund that provides no-hassle, friendly-term loans to Vermont farmers and food producers. It offers Emergency Loans (up to $15,000 at 0% interest) for disaster recovery, Business Builder Loans for farm expansion and infrastructure, and New Producer Loans for beginning farmers. As repaid loans replenish the fund, capital continuously cycles back into new loans to support Vermont's agricultural economy.

Product overview

Vermont Farm Fund operates as a revolving loan fund offering three distinct loan programs to Vermont farmers and food producers. The core offerings include Emergency Loans for disaster recovery (up to $15,000 at 0% interest), Business Builder Loans for infrastructure and equipment investments, and New Producer Loans for beginning farmers. As a true revolving loan fund, repaid loans are replenished for subsequent borrowers, creating a sustainable cycle of agricultural financial support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency Loan Emergency loans up to $15,000 at 0% interest for Vermont farmers and food producers affected by natural disasters, flooding, fire, or other urgent situations requiring quick capital access.
• Business Builder Loan Low-interest loans (3% interest) designed to help Vermont farmers and food producers invest in infrastructure, equipment, value-added processing, and business expansion to increase efficiency and profitability.
• New Producer Loan Loans specifically designed for new and beginning Vermont farmers to help them establish operations, purchase equipment, and build sustainable agricultural businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $2 million in loans to Vermont farmers and food producers over 10 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Vermont Farm Fund is a program of The Center for an Agricultural Economy. CAE is the parent organization that administers VFF. The relationship is integral to VFF's mission and operations.
• Vermont Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVermont Land Trust's Farmland Access Program helps farmers acquire land. VFF works with farmers purchasing through this program, providing loans to help with infrastructure investments needed on newly acquired properties.
• Vermont Farm Viability ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVermont Farm Viability Program provides business planning support to farmers. VFF often works with farmers who have developed plans through this program, and the program refers farmers to VFF for financing.
• NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRCS provides grants for conservation and farm improvements. VFF loans often serve as bridge financing, allowing farmers to complete projects while awaiting NRCS grant payouts.
• Working Lands InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking Lands grants help Vermont farms invest in their operations. VFF loans complement these grants by providing matching funds or bridge financing.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Foodshed Capital: A nonprofit (formerly the Carrot Project) that provides capital and business assistance to small farmers and food producers in the Northeast. Directly comparable in mission, target customer, Strolling-Up-type loans, and focus on filling the gap conventional lenders leave for small and beginning farms.
• Kiva: A nonprofit crowdfunding platform that provides 0% interest loans to small businesses, including farmers, through a network of trustees and partners. Comparable in its 0% small-ticket model, mission-driven underwriting, and use of community-based funding.
• California FarmLink: A nonprofit that provides loans, land-linking, and business education to beginning and underserved farmers in California. Highly comparable mission and product set to VFF, including emergency-style and growth-style loans for small farms, though operating in a different geography.
• The Carrot Project: A predecessor/legacy brand of Foodshed Capital that provided loans and assistance to small and mid-sized farms in New England. Directly comparable to VFF in target customer, mission, and small-ticket loan products for Northeast sustainable farms.
• Vermont Community Loan Fund: A Vermont-based community development financial institution providing flexible loans and capital to small businesses, including farms and food enterprises. Highly comparable because it operates in the same Vermont geography, serves similar underserved borrowers, and uses a relationship-based, mission-driven lending model.

Broad incumbents

• USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA): The federal agency that administers farm loan programs for beginning, minority, and emergency lending to U.S. farmers. Comparable in providing subsidized and emergency farm credit in Vermont, but as a much larger, federally backed program with different speed and process.
• Yankee Farm Credit: A Farm Credit System association serving Vermont and surrounding New England states with loans to farms and forest products businesses. Comparable as a regulated agricultural lender serving the same Vermont borrower base, though at materially larger scale and with conventional underwriting.
• Farm Credit East: A large Northeast-focused agricultural lending cooperative serving Vermont farmers with operating, equipment, and real-estate loans. Comparable as a major source of farm capital in the same geography, though it is a much larger, for-profit cooperative serving established borrowers.

Emerging players

• Steward: A private capital platform that lends to small sustainable farms and ranches through crowdfunded senior debt. Comparable in funding small regenerative farms that mainstream banks underserve, though it operates nationally and is for-profit rather than nonprofit.

Regional players

• Maine Farmland Trust: A regional nonprofit that supports farmland access, farm viability, and the local food economy in Maine, including farm financing programs. Comparable mission and regional focus on Northeast small farms, but primarily Maine-based rather than Vermont-based.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/VermontFarmFund
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vermont-farm-fund
• Instagraminstagram.com/vermontfarmfund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vermont Farm Fund