Entrepreneurship training program for beginning veteran farmers and ranchers

Federal Grant Award Summary

The Center for Women & Enterprise, Inc. (CWE) received a $615,145 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (CFDA 10.443) for the period of September 30, 2025, through September 29, 2028. The award supports an Entrepreneurship Training Program designed specifically for beginning veteran farmers and ranchers in the Providence, Rhode Island area and surrounding New England region.

Through this three-year grant, CWE will deliver comprehensive entrepreneurship training, technical assistance, and business development services to assist veteran farmers and ranchers in establishing and operating viable agricultural enterprises. The program aligns with the USDA's objective of ensuring that veteran and socially disadvantaged farmers can equitably access USDA resources and programs. Drawing on CWE's established expertise in serving underrepresented entrepreneurial populations, the organization will provide business planning workshops, financing guidance, mentoring support, and other capacity-building services to remove barriers to successful farm business ownership and economic self-sufficiency among the target veteran farmer population.