Although we all need food, accessing it can be a challenge. Recent actions at the federal level are making it more challenging than ever for markets to receive the support they need to operate as crucial food access points in their communities.
On April 21, 2025, the Michigan Farmers Market Association (MIFMA) received notice that their USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) grant was terminated. The $161,585 grant was awarded in late 2024 to support the creation and ongoing education of a Market Manager Racial Equity Cohort through 2027.
The goal of the Market Manager Racial Equity Cohort is to empower market managers to foster greater understanding with the communities they serve by dismantling systems of oppression and implementing the tenets of the Farmers Market Coalition’s Anti-Racist Farmers Market Toolkit. Grant funds were to be used to provide stipends to market managers for participating in the cohort and implementing an anti-racist initiative at their markets.
“The cohort structure is meant to offer a space for market managers to foster relationships and support each other as they work to dismantle systems of oppression at their markets,” says Julia Kramer, MIFMA Assistant Director and co-staff liaison of MIFMA’s Racial Equity Committee. “Our ultimate goal is to create more welcoming community-driven marketplaces and lower barriers to participating in markets.”
Members of the cohort include Emily Lyons, market manager of the Midland Farmers Market and Ali Bennett, founder of the Melanin Market in Lansing. Additional participants also represent community-driven marketplaces in Oakland and Washtenaw counties.
According to the termination notice, the grant “provides funding for programs that promote or take part in DEI initiatives… that unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or another protected characteristic,” and is “inconsistent with, and no longer effectuates, Department priorities” and therefore is terminated, effective immediately.
It’s not known precisely how many FMPP and similar grants have been terminated as a result of these federal actions. MIFMA joins several other organizations, including several in Ohio, Vermont, and Wisconsin, that are speaking publicly about their experience.
“This project is creating a roadmap for farmers market managers to come together and ensure that their space is safe, accessible, and welcoming for everyone in their community – vendors, shoppers, and staff alike,” says Jenny Radon, Programs Director and co-staff liaison of MIFMA’s Racial Equity Committee. “We intend to make this project easily replicable so that others may choose to operate a similar program, making impacts felt not just in a few communities, but statewide.”
MIFMA developed the cohort program in collaboration with Karla Forrest-Hewitt, former manager of the East Lansing Farmers Market and co-author of the Anti-Racist Farmers Market Toolkit. Karla is an essential partner in the program to educate and inspire market managers due to her lived experience as a Black market manager and expertise as a food systems leader.
“We’re working to ensure that as markets are set up, barriers are broken down,” says Radon. “Farmers markets and other community-driven marketplaces located intentionally within a community, that accept food assistance benefits and educational opportunities, can be integral to overcoming barriers and expanding food access in their communities.”
Despite the termination of their FMPP grant, MIFMA remains committed to continuing the Market Manager Racial Equity Cohort- and needs your support to do so. MIFMA has a fundraising goal of $100,000 to replace funds not yet dispersed from the grant before its termination. These funds will directly support the anti-racist training, professional development, and cohort activities of Michigan farmers markets, including the ongoing execution of the contract with Karla Forrest-Hewitt, providing stipends to market managers for participating in the cohort, implementing an anti-racist initiative at each participant’s market, and more.
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