Business Support

SRICD is a quasi-public not for profit corporation of the State dedicated to conserving the natural resources of Washington and Kent County, Rhode Island. We provide no cost assistance with applications for USDA NRCS federal funding as well as technical assistance with conservation needs.
We provide Open Space maps for a small fee and by-appointment assistance with your Farm Designation tax program application, as well as conservation education programs in your local school.
All services are available on site at our office, at your home, or at a public space convenient to you. Translated materials and interpreted services are available in Spanish, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Hmong, and other languages but may require advance notice. Please give us a call for help connecting with local farming, forest management, and conservation resources. We look forward to serving you!

ERICD is a quasi-public not for profit organization dedicated to conserving the natural resources of Bristol and Newport Counties, Rhode Island. We provide no cost assistance with applications for USDA NRCS federal funding as well as technical assistance with conservation needs. We also provide Open Space maps for a small fee and by-appointment assistance with your Farm Designation tax program application, as well as conservation education programs in your local school. Though our current property is not ADA accessible, all services are available on site at your home or at a public space convenient to you. Translated materials and interpreted services are available in Spanish, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Hmong, and other languages but may require advance notice. Please give us a call for help connecting with local farming, forest management, and conservation resources. We look forward to serving you!

The Legal Food Hub is a free service that connects eligible food farmers, food entrepreneurs, and food/farm organizations in New England to volunteer attorneys for free legal assistance. Legal issues we help with include zoning, land leases, real estate transactions, intellectual property, entity formation, estate planning, contract review, disputes, and more! There are no limits on how often you can use our services as long as you are eligible (eligibility guidelines are available on our website).

The RI Department of State Business Services Division maintains Rhode Island’s business registry. While we record new business formations and ongoing business registration activity, we also provide thoughtful guidance and comprehensive services to those looking to start and maintain a business or non-profit in Rhode Island.

Explore Business Basics to learn how to create a comprehensive business plan, choose a unique business name, choose a legal structure, hire employees, and choose a location to ensure success from day one. You can also find a list of support resources from our partners, including start-up assistance, loan application preparation, marketing and brand building, legal counseling, and much more.

NRICD is a quasi-public not for profit organization dedicated to conserving the natural resources of Providence County, Rhode Island. We provide no cost assistance with applications for USDA NRCS federal funding as well as technical assistance with conservation needs. We also provide Open Space maps for a small fee and by-appointment assistance with your Farm Designation tax program application, as well as conservation education programs in your local school. Though our current property is not ADA accessible, all services are available on site at your home or at a public space convenient to you. Translated materials and interpreted services are available in Spanish, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Hmong, and other languages but may require advance notice. Please give us a call for help connecting with local farming, forest management, and conservation resources. We look forward to serving you!

Application assistance and Farm Conservation Plans for any property owner in the Farm Forest and Open Space Program in Washington and Kent County. SRICD is a quasi-public not for profit corporation of the State dedicated to conserving the natural resources of Washington and Kent County, Rhode Island. We provide no cost assistance with applications for USDA NRCS federal funding as well as technical assistance with conservation needs.
We provide Open Space maps for a small fee and by-appointment assistance with your Farm Designation tax program application, as well as conservation education programs in your local school.
All services are available on site at our office, at your home, or at a public space convenient to you. Translated materials and interpreted services are available in Spanish, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Hmong, and other languages but may require advance notice. Please give us a call for help connecting with local farming, forest management, and conservation resources. We look forward to serving you!

Applications due April 30! The BFF Rapid Response Fund supports Black farmers and food business owners across the Northeast in emergency situations including but not limited to equipment breakdown, weather damage, transportation issues, safety issues, loss of crops/animals or damaged supplies. A community-led committee votes on the funding decisions.

Emergencies: This fund supports one-time emergencies that have disrupted business operations that can be resolved by the funding. Eligibility Note: This fund does not support regular business expenses or operational costs, ongoing issues, start up costs, or capacity building expenses such as buying new equipment, staffing or buying land.

Funding Request: Funding up to $10k maximum. Budget Note: Please provide a specific dollar amount with your funding requests to cover ONE emergency (up to $10k or below) with an itemized budget breakdown of how the funds will be used.

The Rare & Unusual Plant Sale returns in 2026 for its 34th year at City Farm and features 20,000 city-grown, city-sown vegetable, herb, and fruit plants, including a wide variety of medicinals. All plant starts are grown with love, using organic and regenerative practices, from seed in our greenhouse at City Farm, Rhode Island’s longest operating urban farm. The Rare & Unusual Plant Sale also features hundreds of sought-after native perennials carefully curated and generously donated by local nurseries.

All are welcome! Admission is free and plant prices are kept low. We can accept SNAP/EBT, cash, credit/debit as payment for your plants.

Don’t miss special Member-only pricing and early event preview! The Rare & Unusual Plant Sale begins with an exclusive preview hour at 9:00am on Saturday, May 16. Exclusive early access is available only to SCLT Members! Members also receive a 10% discount on all plant purchases at the Sale. Other SCLT Membership benefits include 50 gallons of organic compost and discounts from beloved local retail partners. Learn more about membership and sign up today.

Plant Sale proceeds support Southside Community Land Trust’s mission and work to build equity and resiliency into Rhode Island’s food system. Your Plant Sale purchase funds SCLT’s farmer training, youth and apprentice, produce prescription, community gardens, urban farms programs which are designed to meet the food access and economic needs of historically underserved communities in Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls.

Wed, May 20 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Online

Running a business isn’t just about dollars and cents. It’s about how you manage all of your resources – and that has a financial impact! It’s important to understand the true cost of spending those resources and the ROI (Return on Investment) you’re getting. This 3-month workshop series is designed to help you calculate the real value of your resources and maximize that investment while building basic business financial literacy skills.

Money makes the world go ‘round, but is your business actually making a profit? Let’s find out!

Knowing how much your product or service costs to create and how much your business really needs to earn in order to break even are the first steps towards setting a profitable price and determining if your business is financially viable.

During this workshop, you’ll learn how to:

Calculate your COGS (“Cost of Goods Sold”) Identify your overhead expenses Determine your real profit margin Explore the “hidden expenses” that can eat into profit