Building the
Future of Food in
Our Community
Dear Friend: 

Berkshire Agricultural Ventures has an exciting announcement… We are officially launching a NEW grant fund!
The Market Match Fund is an economic development and food access initiative, designed to provide a consistent, annual funding stream to match customer SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) at Berkshire County farmers markets. 

And with farmers market season right around the corner, Berkshire Agricultural Ventures (BAV) could not imagine a better time to share the news!
The concept of establishing a centralized grant fund emerged in the summer of 2021, when BAV distributed $20,000 in grants to bolster SNAP matching programs at four Berkshire County farmers markets, including New Lebanon, North Adams, Pittsfield and West Stockbridge.

After speaking with market managers and farmers about the positive impact these matching programs have on their businesses and communities, BAV realized how critical this level of support is for the region. 

Currently, the Market Match Fund is able to support markets in offering a 1:1 SNAP match up to $30, with the hope of either removing the $30 limit or raising the SNAP match to 2:1, depending on the success of fundraising efforts. 
What is “market match”?
The term “market match” (sometimes referred to as “double up bucks”) is an incentive program independently adopted and managed by farmers markets and farmers markets organizations. The program is structured to reward SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Access Program) participants when they spend their SNAP dollars at local food markets. Typically, markets will match 1:1 (or occasionally double) SNAP dollars spent up to a specific amount.

Until now, Berkshire County farmers markets that offer matching programs have fundraised independently of each other, which can present great challenges to markets, especially small markets who often don’t have the time or expertise to raise enough funds on their own. As a result, some markets weren’t able to raise enough funds to sustain their market match program through the entire 6- to 7-month market season; some didn’t offer the program at all.

By establishing this centralized fund, BAV is eliminating all of these capacity and fundraising barriers.
Photos courtesy of Roots Rising, Abode Farm, and Square Roots Farm.
Our Goals 

BAV views the establishment of the Market Match Fund as a vehicle for economic development. Market match programs increase low-income households’ purchasing power and autonomy at local markets, and enable significant sales growth for farmers and food producers.

Through the Market Match Fund, BAV looks to achieve the following primary goals:  

  1. To centralize and improve efficiency on how market match funding is raised and distributed across Berkshire County;
  2. To increase revenue for local farms and food producers; and 
  3. To make fresh, locally produced food consistently affordable for low-income (SNAP-eligible) families.

As this is the first year of the Market Match Fund, BAV anticipates the outcomes of 2022 will play a pivotal role in determining what is needed to ensure the long-term success of the program.

Data collected from participants this year will help BAV understand the impacts the Market Match Fund has on vendor sales, and assist in identifying the appropriate annual funding needed to ensure the long-term success of the Fund. 

Longer-term impacts (2023 and beyond) include: improving the markets’ operational efficiency without adding to their expenses or workload; encouraging farmers to increase production and extend growing seasons; creating larger farmers markets with longer (perhaps year-round) market seasons; and demonstrating that farming and food production in the Berkshire-Taconic Region can continue to expand while remaining financially viable.

BAV anticipates this fund will provide critical support to Berkshire County markets. We believe this will lead to healthier communities and thriving local agribusinesses, well into the future. 

BAV looks forward to keeping you engaged throughout the development of the Market Match Fund.

We hope you are moved to support BAV’s efforts, and encourage you to visit the BAV website if you are interested in contributing to the Market Match Fund. 

Together, we are building the future of food in our community.
Photo courtesy of North Adams Farmers Market
Farmers markets seeking funding for SNAP matching programs, or those looking to establish a matching program are eligible to apply for grant funding. The application can be found on the BAV website.