“Our support of the CCOF Foundation’s Future Organic Farmer program allows us to pool our resources and reach a larger, more diverse group of students, educators and farmers-in-training.”
— Carrie Walle, Program Officer, Clif Family Foundation
Since the Future Organic Farmer program began in 2014—with foundational support from the Clif Family Foundation—we’ve awarded over $1 million to help future organic farmers thrive. In 2025, the Clif Family Foundation has renewed their support of the CCOF Foundation’s Future Organic Farmer grant program. At the heart of the Clif Family Foundation’s mission is a powerful vision: a healthy, just, and ecologically thriving world for all people. Through their continued support of the CCOF Foundation’s Future Organic Farmer grant fund, that vision comes to life on farms, at universities, and in rural communities across the United States.
This partnership goes beyond scholarships. It’s about cultivating a future where organic agriculture supports planetary health and nourishes generations to come. The Clif Family Foundation prioritizes regenerative and organic farming, community empowerment, healthy food access, and the health and safety of our nation’s farmers. The Future Organic Farmer grant fund advances all these priorities, one student at a time.
Organic farming creates the foundation for human and environmental health. By avoiding synthetic pesticides, organic practices protect farmworkers and their families from toxic exposures that are linked to cancer, neurodevelopmental disorders, and other health risks. These same practices reduce pollutants in the air, soil, and water. Future Organic Farmer grant recipients are trained to carry these protective, preventive health strategies forward into the fields and food systems of tomorrow.
Organic agriculture also promotes safe, empowering working conditions for farmers managing our land, frontline communities near organic farms, and farmworker families by reducing exposure to synthetic pesticides. Through the CCOF Foundation, we are investing in students across the United States who are pursuing careers in organic agriculture—many of whom are already farming organically but are continuing their education in topics like soil health, crop rotation, and cover cropping. As the U.S. farming population ages, the Future Organic Farmer grant program helps ensure a new generation is ready to step in and lead our global organic food supply.
The next generation of organic farmers and ranchers is essential to building climate-resilient food systems. Organic farms nurture soil health, conserve water, and increase biodiversity by planting rotating crops and building permanent hedgerows—critical habitats for pollinators like bees and butterflies. Organic farmers steward these environments and invest in these invaluable ecological services. Every Future Organic Farmer trained in these regenerative methods becomes a force for ecological renewal in the face of climate change.
In 2025, the CCOF Foundation awarded $5,000 grants to 25 students studying organic agriculture at higher education and vocational institutions across the U.S. These grants remove financial barriers for students who are passionate about stewarding the land, feeding their communities, and leading the organic movement into the future. Follow us on social @CCOForganic and sign-up for our weekly newsletter to receive updates about the farmers we support in partnership with organizations like Clif Family Foundation.
