2021 Local Food Scholarships

Congratulations to our 2021 Local Food Scholarship recipients!

At the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network, our mission is to grow our local food economy. To do this, we not only promote the demand for local food in our region, we also help to support our local food farmers and entrepreneurs as they work to expand their capacity and to acquire the new skills they need to grow their local food business.

Congratulations to Edison Bender of Ambrosia Orchard, Cidery & Meadery, Pam DeCamp of DeCamp Gardens, and Beth Ritzman of Something Better with Beth. Our thanks to each of you for taking on the challenge to learn new skills, so you can bring more local food from our land to our tables!

If YOU know a producer who could benefit from a Local Food Scholarship, we still have a few scholarship funds available this year. The scholarship application deadline has been extended through February 28, 2021.

Northeast Indiana Local Food Scholarship Fund

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Scholarship Fund was established in March 2019 with proceeds from each registration for the 2019 Northeast Indiana Local Food Forum. Proceeds from future Local Food Forums as well as ongoing donations designated to this fund will sustain and grow the Northeast Indiana Local Food Scholarship fund.

Northeast Indiana Local Food Scholarships are designed 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. These scholarships can support your participation in educational opportunities on-line, in webinars, at conferences or as part of your training for new certifications.

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. Applicant 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 the themselves and/or their business. Scholarship award recipients are also encouraged to make a brief presentation about their educational or training experience at the next annual Local Food Forum following receipt of their scholarship.

Extended Application Deadline

Click the button below to complete the Local Food Producer Scholarship application. All applications received before 11:59 pm on February 28, 2021 will be considered for scholarships for educational opportunities occurring during 2021.

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.