The following excerpts are taken directly from Grant Awardees applications in 2025. Please note that the questions align more with the Phase 2 Application; however, we feel sharing these examples will help paint a picture of our selection process to better tailor your future application.

Example 1: Blue Heron Farm

Operation Overview
We grow fruits and vegetables in California’s high desert using regenerative practices that conserve water, build soil, and nurture biodiversity - producing resilient, nutrient-dense food for our local community through our CSA, farm stand, and markets.

Briefly describe the sustainability measures you have in place if any.
We farm using regenerative, organic practices that build soil health and conserve water in our high-desert climate. We use cover crops, compost, crop rotation, and no-till methods to protect soil life. Our orchards are managed without synthetic inputs, and we’re transitioning toward organic certification. We’re also incorporating pollinator habitat, rotational grazing, and on-site composting to create a closed-loop, climate-resilient system.

Comment on any challenges and barriers to success you and your operation have faced. This should include details on how the PCF grant funding would help you move past or begin to address some of those challenges/barriers. Our biggest challenge is efficiency. As a new farm rebuilding an old orchard and scaling diversified vegetable production, every hour matters. Without proper post-harvest infrastructure, washing and packing greens is slow, labor-intensive, and wastes precious water. With only one paid staff member and two full-time managers not yet taking salaries, the workload is immense. The PCF grant would allow us to install a complete wash-and-pack system—bubbler, spinner, and bunch washer—cutting post-harvest time in half, improving food safety, conserving water, and letting us focus more energy on growing food and building community partnerships. These upgrades would transform our ability to meet demand and strengthen the farm’s long-term sustainability.

Please describe your project and how it will improve your operations or serve as a catapult to reach a goal you have set.
This project will upgrade our post-harvest system with a pedal-operated bunch washer, two greens bubblers, and a 20-gallon commercial spinner. Together, these tools will increase our processing capacity by 50%, reduce water use through recirculation, and cut labor time by an estimated 15 hours per week during peak season. Improved wash and dry consistency will enhance food safety, extend shelf life, and reduce crop loss. The upgrade allows us to efficiently supply our 50-member CSA, farm stand, and restaurant accounts, while positioning us to expand next season. For a small, high-desert farm with limited labor, this investment directly strengthens production capacity, water efficiency, and long-term viability—critical steps toward meeting the growing local demand for fresh, clean produce.

Total Grant Project Bid
$4,889.89

Example 2: Goodland Seafood

Operation Overview
I catch California spiny lobster, rockfish and red and yellow rock crab.

Briefly describe the sustainability measures you have in place if any.
All of our seafood is caught sustainability with the highest regard to regulations and seasonality. I have participated in experimental fishing gear to continue efforts for sustainable catch.

Comment on any challenges and barriers to success you and your operation have faced. This should include details on how the PCF grant funding would help you move past or begin to address some of those challenges/barriers.
Last year I had a challenging accident and lost my boat  and nearly my life. I picked up the pieces and started lobster last year with a much older, less reliable boat.  With expenses mounting to rebuild my engine so I can work consistently without worry the engine will fail and to keep my markets I would use these funds to help fix and upgrade my engine. My boat is my businesses lifeline and this would help me continue to the path of building and rebuilding my business.  This challenge mixed with current macro economic has put a lot of hardship on local fishers and I will also use these funds to continue investing in local markets.  I need an additional large freezer to house bait to reduce my overhead, overhead has been a large challenge with lower prices and higher expenses.

Please describe your project and how it will improve your operations or serve as a catapult to reach a goal you have set.
With these funds I will be able to fix my engine to continue supporting the local markets with fish, lobster and crab as well as give me the means to invest in the items I need to participate in more farmers markets including a freezer and a mobile tank for crab. This will help me diversify in difficult times and continue to persevere.  Fishing is in my blood and I love nothing more than providing sustainable, fresh seafood to my community, however, it's been really difficult with rising costs to have extra funding to continue. If I can set the goal of fixing my engine to reduce my fuel consumption and be more dependable, buy a large freezer to house bulk bait to ensure I always have bait on hand and reduce the cost as well as buy a crab tank for farmers markets and new commercial scale, it will help me continue to move forward. 

This grant will support entering into a new market in Solvang and the Saturday fishermen's market. My goal is to be established in both markets by end of next year. A freezer and engine enhancements will ensure I can reliably support this goal.

Total Grant Project Bid
$5,000

Example 3: Cahuilla Mountain Ranch

Operation Overview
Cahuilla Mountain Ranch is a Native American-owned and operated ranch that raises 100% grass fed beef. We utilize a USDA-approved facility to sell our beef by the individual cut to our local communities via farmers markets and direct pickup from our home or ranch. We are passionate about providing quality beef at an affordable price.

Briefly describe the sustainability measures you have in place if any.
Sustainable measures we use in our cattle ranching include rotational grazing, regenerative agriculture, and we don't use any synthetic fertilizers or chemicals on our pastures. We hold high standards for our animal welfare. We do not overcrowd our pastures, we supplement with organically grown hay we need, and practice low-stress management techniques.  We implement thoughtful water usage systems, such as using piped systems to deliver water to troughs, to maintain water quality and conserve the resource.

Comment on any challenges and barriers to success you and your operation have faced. This should include details on how the PCF grant funding would help you move past or begin to address some of those challenges/barriers.
One of the challenges we face as a family owned and operated ranch is the amount of work that goes into sustainably raising cattle. We are working to improve our efficiency and safety for when we are handling, sorting, and working our livestock. Our children are a big help on the ranch and we want to keep them, ourselves, and our cattle safe. Last year we were able to purchase a cattle chute to help reduce stress on our livestock and improve safety for our family when handling our cattle. For example, branding, pregnancy checking, tagging, etc. Our next priority is to improve the quality and safety of our round pen and ally that feeds into our chute.

Please describe your project and how it will improve your operations or serve as a catapult to reach a goal you have set.
The project we are working on is reconstructing the alley of our cattle working system. Last year we purchased a new chute and this year we plan to reconstruct our alley. The alley is a narrow pathway that funnels cattle from our round pen into a single-file working chute/squeeze. The alley helps us to sort and work cattle in a more efficient and safe manner. A new alley is paramount to our operation as our current alley is made of wood and is rotting. We recently had a pregnant female cow break through the side and she could have injured herself or one of us. The alley is also beneficial to our operation as it streamlines cattle sorting and reduces the number of people needed to manage our herd. As a small family operation with no employees this helps tremendously! Lastly, it is important to us to reduce stress and maintain the health of our cattle and a working system keeps animals calmer, reduces stress during handling, and allows for more routine health checks.

Total Grant Project Bid
$4,202.26