Apply for a Local Food Scholarship

Are you planning to attend a food or farming conference this winter, or participate in a training course this year to help expand our business or make it more resilient? We want to help. 

Applications for our 2024 Local Food Scholarships are now available. We encourage all Northeast Indiana local food farmers, producers, processors and entrepreneurs to apply for a scholarship to help you seek the training and networking opportunities you need to make your businesses grow and thrive. 

Review complete details about the 2024 Local Food Scholarship below. All 2024 Local Food Scholarships will be awarded on a rolling basis, until our annual scholarship funds are deleted. Apply Today!

Northeast Indiana Local Food Scholarship Fund

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Scholarship Fund was established in 2019 to help current NE Indiana local food farmers, local food entrepreneurs and owners of small food processing and aggregation businesses pursue the education and training opportunities they need to grow their local food businesses. 

Local Food Scholarships support participation in educational and training opportunities through on-line or in-person courses, or to pursue key networking opportunities at conferences. Review the wide variety of opportunities that previous scholarship winners have pursued listed below


Scholarship Eligibility

Farmers, processors and product aggregators who seek to expand their participation in our local food supply chain are eligible to apply. Successful candidates must operate an existing farm or business physically located within the 11 counties of NE Indiana: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley counties.


Eligible Expenses

Local Food Producer Scholarships reimburse registration fees, travel and lodging associated with educational local food opportunities. Successful applicants may be awarded up to 50% of submitted costs with a maximum scholarship of $500 per application. Applicants are limited to one scholarship award every five years. Upon request, one half of the award may be paid up front, to accommodate the up front cost of registration fees and travel arrangements.  The balance is payable after completion of the educational coursework or training session and submission of the following: 1) copies of all receipts of eligible expenses, and 2) a written summary of what they learned and the benefits to themselves, their local food business and/or our local food economy.


Questions and Requests for paper scholarship applications

If you have questions, or to request a copy of a paper application, please contact Steve Engleking, Chair of the Northeast Indiana Local Food Scholarship Committee at (260)499-6334 or sengleking@purdue.edu.


Previous Local Food Scholarship Awardees

Over the last 5 years, ten Northeast Indiana local food entrepreneurs have received local food scholarships. We are proud to have helped these individuals gain the knowledge and confidence they need to take on new challenges, so they can bring more and different local foods from our land to our tables!

  • Ty Simmons attended the National Black Farmers Association Convention which allowed him to network with other black farmers from across the country and expand the Human Agricultural Cooperative in Fort Wayne.

  • Samantha Yim participated in a course on marketing to wholesale businesses which helped her market her True Kimchi products nationwide, as well as open True Kimchi Korean Cafe in Fort Wayne.

  • Joshua Cockram pursued PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) training which allowed him to open his processing facility for Josh’s Jungle at The Process in Huntertown.

  • Pam DeCamp attended a Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training to assure her products at DeCamp Gardens near Albion are grown & handled correctly.

  • Beth Ritzman learned ways to operate a successful microgreens business through an online course, which helped expand her business Something Better with Beth.

  • Edison Bender visited meaderies in Washington State to learn about their operations as he seeks to expand his mead product line at Ambrosia Orchard, Cidery & Meadery.

  • Kara Filler enrolled in the online Better Process Control School offered by Purdue University in order to expand her line of honey products at Filler Family Apiary.

  • Zachary Banks participated in the Flourish Farm Online Aquaponics Course in order to expand food production at the Ivy Tech Community College Greenhouse and share his knowledge with others.

  • Foy Spicer participated in the Seed Seva Online Course to expand her knowledge about holistic, indigenous permaculture-based seed stewardship, which she utilizes in teaching youth and cataloging produce varieties at Joyfield Farm.

  • Sarah Trombley attended the Kombucha Kon Conference and Expo to network with other business founders and learn about kombucha operations and marketing as she expanded Lunar Infusions Kombucha in South Whitley.

We are grateful to each of these Local Food Scholarship awardees for working hard to produce delicious food for our community and for eagerly taking on new challenges so your business can grow and thrive. We’re honored to help!  

Janet Katz