Whether you are still in the browsing and loan application stage of prepper retreat ownership or already live on your survival homestead, there are grants that can help you achieve your dream of creating a fully-functional compound.
Sure, none of these government or private state specific grants scream, “For Preppers” but a prepper retreat can qualify for the same type of funds primarily designed for agricultural properties.
The grants can provide funding to install an alternative energy system, purchase survival livestock, build a barn, buy seeds, jump state an on-site business, and a plethora of other common homesteading or farming activities that will also further the self-reliance goals on a survival retreat.
Top 8 Grants For Preppers
1. Farmers Market Promotion
This nationwide grant was created to aid farmers who are striving to increase sales of their goods, construct a roadside produce stand, launch agri-tourism activities on their land, advertise their business, and to garner agriculture training.
2. Agricultural Reinvestment Fund
This grant is open only to residents of North Carolina. Award amounts up to $8,000 can be received to invest in existing farming operations.
3. Organic Farming Research Foundation Grants
Organic farmers, ranchers, and homesteaders can apply for funds to improve or expand their non-commercial growing operations.
4. Start2Farm
This USDA grant program series offers funding opportunities for new, minority, and female ranchers or farmers. Seed money is often available for use in buying machinery, improving or building livestock structures, installing fencing, and other common agricultural activities.
5. NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative
This grant can be used to fund activities that address pollination issues, productivity problems, and crop breeding. The applicant can be a small business owner, engaging in a non-profit operation, or part of an agricultural group.
6. Missouri Beef Grants
Residents can apply for a grant up to $20,000 to improve or enhance an established agricultural activity on their land. Funds can also be used to purchase materials and equipment.
7. Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program
Applicants can garner grants to fund activities which will foster greater productivity on their homestead, including equipment replacement. To be eligible for this type of farm grant, the applicant must be a member of a food program service provider – becoming involved in such a program it not typically a difficult or time-consuming as it may sound. .
8. SARE Farmer/Rancher Grants
Farmers, ranchers, and homesteaders can apply for up to $20,000 in funds to use to improve the environmental impact of their agricultural activities and enhance their overall operations.
How To Make Money On Your Homestead
One of the main reasons any urban or suburban prepper I have ever known believes they cannot do what it best for their family and move to a rural area and build their own survival retreat, is based upon financial concerns.
While it is true there are fewer high-paying jobs at brick-and-mortar locations out in the country, that does not mean copious amounts of money making opportunities about – especially those that stem from your very own land.
Contrary to what many folks believe, we do have quality internet out here in the boonies. When I lived in the county seat of a county so small it only had one stop light and no cities, I still had high speed broadband internet at an affordable cost.
Once we moved onto our 56-acre survival retreat, I had to switch to satellite internet because broadband service did not extend out this far. At first I was concerned that I would have to drive back to town every day and write from my husband’s office, but have been extremely pleasantly surprised with our HughesNet satellite internet service – which is also affordable.
I can work from home and not have to leave our land at all unless I am too impatient to wait for Bobby to bring home whatever we need and do not grow or make ourselves, from the store – or wait for the UPS to deliver something I ordered online, which I do a lot because shopping malls have never been my thing.
After running at least five days and evenings a week to an office, meetings, to coach various sports, and be a member of government and civic boards, being able to fully immerse myself in our beautiful and fully functional retreat is quite literally heaven on Earth.
Top 10 Ways To Make Money On Your Prepper Retreat
1. Gardening
This old-fashioned rural activity can bring in big bucks year around if you also build a greenhouse on your survival retreat and/or grow cooking and medicinal herbs. Selling jellies, jams, dehydrated produce, and dried herbs both at local farmer’s markets and online, can bring in at least $1,000 per month in profit if you work diligently to build up the business. Remember, the cost of living in a rural area is decidedly a lot lower than in the suburbs or the city, adjust your income and expenses expectations accordingly.
2. Architectural Salvage
Selling old barn wood, rusty hinges, rusty chicken wire, and virtually any old type of building material or industrial fixtures you pick up for next to nothing at local auctions and yard sales and selling them online on websites like ETSY, is yet another great way to add hundreds to thousands of dollars to the family’s coffers each month. A single old piece of barn wood can sell for between $3 to $5 each. Building furniture, cabinets, and planters out of the old barn wood and rusty tin roofing material could garner you $200 to $1,000 per simple project.
3. Natural Elements
There is both a thriving online and regional market for naturally sources materials like: grapevine, acorns, walnuts, livestock bones, river rocks, animal hides, and foraged wild edibles. Nearly any rural survival retreat will be able to provide (especially if you butcher your own livestock) all of these types of natural items, and more, to sell online or at open air markets in a nearby city…or ideally, both.
4. Destination Weddings
Turn a beautiful old barn into a spot to host weddings, receptions, as a photo backdrop, or other social events. You could also offer your services as a photography, videographer, caterer, and decorator to the barn or field rental clients to increase your earning power.
5. Firewood
If your prepper retreat is at least partially wooded, sell excess firewood to local folks and campgrounds as a seasonal part-time money maker.
6. Composting
Never underestimate the value of quality dirt. Make good use of all the livestock manure at your prepper retreat by cultivating compost that can be sold be either the bag or truckload.
7. Raw Milk
It is illegal in most states to sell raw livestock milk, but it is allowable to create a herd share in the majority of places. You sell a share in a cow or goat and the holder comes onto your property to milk the animal to retrieve the milk.
8. Livestock Breeding
Even if your prepper retreat is only going to be about five acres, you could still launch a profitable breeding operation for chickens, ducks, Pygmy or Nigerian Dwarf goats, or similar smaller livestock. Guineas are hard to find and always a popular member of the poultry world with farmers and rural homesteaders in general. If you keep chickens, set up a simple roadside stand to sell the eggs, as well.
9. Butcher Shop
Construct a butcher shop on your survival retreat that can pass government inspection so you can have a space not only to process livestock you raise for personal use, but for profit as well.
10. Beekeeping
Bee hives can be rented out to other farmers to pollinate their garden crops and fruit groves and the honey can be sold both online and locally as part of your overall survival homesteading work from home operation.
If you are a homeschooling prepper parent, you can incorporate any of these money making ideas into your self-reliance curriculum, allowing you to teach your children valuable skills while bringing them up in the new family business.
