Funding Opportunities to Support Farmers
Learn more about the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center’s current requests for application (RFAs) to support aquaculture innovations driven by Maine farmers! All Maine aquaculture farmers are eligible to apply for grant funding.
Investing in our Aquaculture Community
The Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center (MAIC) supports new and existing aquaculture farms along the coast of Maine by providing opportunities for social, economic, and technological innovation in aquaculture spaces. One avenue for generating new ideas in Maine’s aquaculture industry that MAIC has found to be particularly valuable is providing funding for aquaculture farmers to do their own growth, learning, and outreach. With this in mind, MAIC has helped create funding opportunities for Maine aquaculture farmers to connect with other farmers around the world as well as members of their local communities to inspire aquaculture innovations of every variety.
Current requests for applications (RFAs) include:
- Business & Economic Research Program
- Community Engagement Event Grants
- Farmer to Farmer Exchange Program
- Aquaculture Business Development Grants
- Rapid Response Funding (open to Maine-based individuals, academic institutions, non-profit organizations, and businesses engaged in aquaculture or related fields)
You can learn more about the application process for each of these funding opportunities below. Please reach out to Sydney Avena with additional questions.
1. Business & Economic Research Program
Call for Applications:
The Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, in partnership with the Atlantic Corporation, is offering business and market research support to entrepreneurial aquaculture businesses in Maine. This includes businesses:
- Exploring potential for farming a new species,
- Seeking commercial expansion,
- Looking to expand markets for existing products,
- Seeking grant funding or financing, or
- Creating a new value-added product for the first time.
The program provides customized market research to identify new target markets and develop new marketing strategies, enabling aquaculture businesses to expand access of their products to local and regional markets. These products can include food, non-food, or gear products or services.
Funding Available:
MAIC can offer these services free of charge for up to 10 Maine businesses per year.
Eligibility:
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- Businesses must be registered in Maine.
- Businesses should be in the early stages of developing a new aquaculture product or service; OR
- Looking to expand markets for an existing product or service.
Timeline:
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis (monthly). Applications will be reviewed monthly at the beginning of each month.
2. Community Engagement Event Grants
Call for Applications:
The Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center is excited to re-launch our Community Engagement Grants! These small grants are intended to provide financial support to farmers who are hosting community engagement events to build social license for their farms.
Funding Available:
MAIC will reimburse proposals up to $650. All requested funds must be matched with either a cash or in-kind match.
Eligibility:
-
- Applicants must be Maine aquaculture growers.
- Applicants must be willing to complete a debriefing survey after the event is held where they will be asked about event participation, content and outcomes. Results may be shared with potential funders for future iterations of the community engagement grant.
Timeline:
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis (monthly). Applications will be reviewed monthly at the beginning of each month.
3. Farmer to Farmer Exchange Program
Call for Applications:
The Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center, with support from Maine Sea Grant, NOAA Sea Grant and the Northeast Aquaculture Conference & Exposition, is excited to support a farmer-to-farmer exchange program. The goal of this exchange program is to enable Maine’s aquaculturists to undertake technology and knowledge transfer by visiting farmers elsewhere in the U.S. or internationally. Participants will be expected to share what they learn with the greater Maine aquaculture community. For the purposes of this Call for Applications, we define “industry” to include both growers and companies that provide goods and services to industry.
Proposals will be evaluated based on anticipated return on investment with respect to impact of the new knowledge/technology on Maine’s aquaculture sector.
Funding Available:
We anticipate the majority of awards will not exceed $3,000 per person, and that only 1-2 people per business will travel. To be considered, groups greater than 2 people should provide detail on why each person provides unique value to the transfer of knowledge and/or technology to Maine. There is only a limited amount of funding available for international travel. We anticipate the majority of awards being made for farmer exchanges within the U.S.
Eligibility:
-
- Applicants must be members of the Maine aquaculture industry
- Applicants must be willing to present the skills/innovations/knowledge that they acquire
Timeline:
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis (monthly). All travel must be completed within 12 months. Applications will be reviewed monthly at the beginning of each month.
Curious about how people have used farmer funding opportunities in the past?
Learn more about the experiences of the participants in the Farmer to Farmer Exchange Program by visiting our YouTube channel!
4. Aquaculture Business Development Grants
Call for Applications:
MAIC’s Aquaculture Business Development Grants are intended to build upon the Business & Economic Research Program and the Farmer to Farmer Exchange Program by providing funding for businesses to further explore market research, the transfer and/or adoption of new technologies or practices into their business, or to trial innovative gear types or emerging aquaculture species.
We encourage businesses to utilize the Maine Entrepreneurship Resource Corps (MERC) and Maine Technology Institute programs. This MAIC program aims to fill gaps not covered by MERC and MTI.
Funding Available:
MAIC can fund applications up to $5,000 and applicants must be able to match all requested funds through either a cash match or an in-kind match.
Eligibility:
-
- Applicants must be aquaculture businesses registered in Maine.
- If choosing to work with an outside consultant, the named consultant must provide a letter of commitment to be submitted with the application. The consultant does not have to be located in Maine.
Timeline:
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis (monthly). Applications will be reviewed monthly at the beginning of each month.
5. Rapid Response Program
Call for Applications:
The Rapid Response Program supports projects that can quickly respond to pressing issues affecting aquaculture in Maine, promoting sustainability and resilience in our seafood sector. The program encourages collaboration among researchers, industry stakeholders, and community partners.
Funding Available:
There is no funding cap for this program, however all costs MUST be appropriate and not inflated. Applicants must be able to match all requested funds through either a cash match or an in-kind match.
Eligibility:
-
- Applicant organizations must be registered in Maine.
- Proposals are invited from individuals, academic institutions, non-profit organzations, and businesses engaged in aquaculture or related fields.
- Projects must demonstrate a clear connection to the aquaculture sector in Maine and provide a rapid response to documented urgent, current needs or challenges.
Timeline:
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
