Federal Programs
There are several federal programs for farm business grants or cost-shares that can drastically reduce specific costs. While these grants can be helpful, especially if there is a new practice or new infrastructure you want to add to your farm, they aren’t a sustainable strategy to capitalize or fund your farming venture. Most will not allow funds to be used to start a farm but only to deepen or innovate certain farming practices.
The USDA has resources specific to small and midsize producers that can be found here detailing what access to capital they are able to provide, as well as cost shares for land management, conservation practices, and risk management.
The Sustainable Agriculture Research Foundation has regional offices that issue grants for farmers and ranchers to do research on-farm or implement new practices. The National Young Farmers Coalition has a grant program, as does Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT). There are many other regional options for grants for small and mid-sized farms. Connect with non-profits and universities in your area that support farmers and ask about grant opportunities.
If you want to apply for grants, do know that the applications can be burdensome, and they will likely require references letters. And, after grants are received, there will be reporting requirements attached to the funding.
Tax Implications of Income from Crowdfunding and Grants
If you and your business partners are able to raise funds in any of the ways discussed above–via crowdfunding or grants–bravo! Access to capital is a huge barrier to farming, and you should congratulate yourself on your creativity and perseverance. There is always a ‘but,’ though! In this case, the ‘but’ is that the government still wants its cut. Money raised via grants or crowdfunding is, in fact, business income. And what, you might ask, is the consequence of that? The business’s income tax liability!
This is not a problem, but it is an accounting issue. The IRS defines gross income as all income, no matter the source from which it is derived. Unless there is a specific exclusion, any taxpayer receiving something of value is subject to taxation. For-profit businesses will not have exclusions for income of this type. The budget for the project and the projections for how much should be raised should take into consideration the tax burden that will arise from the additional income. Alternatively, the business can plan the fundraising campaign and expenditures in such a way that the money earned through fundraising is spent during the same year it was raised. If your business raises more than $600/year, a Form 1099K will need to be filed to report the income.
Untraditional Loans for Your For-Profit Business
Private or personal loans can also help support farm businesses. These are potentially coming from family and friends who want to help you start your operation but do not want to gift you the money. Typically, this looks like getting the money with a written agreement stating you promise to pay the money back, usually with interest.
The key in these situations is coming to a consensus on the agreement and making sure it is written down. There are so many things to talk about! For the sake of clarity and everyone’s memory, everything should be written down and signed. A promissory note is the typical legal document that controls transactions such as these. Making the agreement professional and using promissory notes as templates for your own agreement will cut down on the risk of the IRS considering the loan a gift (see below for considerations regarding gifts).
The written agreement should detail the interest rate and the schedule for repayments. When do repayments begin? How are those payments expected? How are the principal and interest allocated between payments? Is there an early payoff penalty? What happens if a payment is missed? Can the responsibility for paying the loan off be transferred?
Family and friends are often willing to loan money at below-market interest rates. Be aware, however, that the IRS may treat overly low interest rates as a gift to the loan recipient, which can then count toward the lender’s annual tax-free gift maximum (see gift section below). A good rule of thumb is to track the current interest rate on a savings account, or a Certificate of Deposit is for a low-interest rate that wouldn’t be at risk of being considered a gift.
A family member or friend may be less stringent than a traditional lender when dealing with repayment. Even so, the business does need to expect to make payments that will repay the loan within the allotted time frame.