Perennial Fund I & II
The Perennial Fund is an alternative lender for farmers, focused on accelerating the transition of farms to sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices.
PRI Profile
The Perennial Fund was launched by Mad Agriculture to provide patient and flexible capital to farmers and ranchers in the Midwest to transition traditional acreage to regenerative and organic production. It provides operating loans as well as equipment and infrastructure financing. Perennial Fund I was established in response to the recognition that regenerative organic production creates long-term ecological and financial wealth, but the first few years of transition are generally not profitable. 
Especially for small and mid-sized farmers, existing financing mechanisms and buyer demands do not give them enough working capital to stay afloat during the transitional years. By working directly with farmers in transition, the Perennial Fund helps provide the support and expertise that farmers need to liberate themselves from big agriculture and do better for their families, their communities, their customers, and the world.
The Perennial Fund aims to revolutionize organic and regenerative agriculture for mid-sized farmers focused on row crops through flexible capital, technical assistance, and supply chain support. It will also leverage the organic transitions enabled by their financing to conduct an extensive research project to measure the impact on soil health, farmers’ livelihoods, and more. The goal of the findings is to make the case for more farmers to transition their acres, re-align how we think about risk in agriculture, and influence policy.
Based on the success and impact of Fund I, the Woodcock Foundation invested $100,000 in the Perennial Fund II, also designed to provide U.S. farmers with tailored transition finance to help them adopt regenerative organic practices while boosting long-term profitability. The Fund will provide farmers with soil health investments, market development, and enterprise diversification.
Highlights
The Perennial Fund launched in 2020 and quickly hit its $10 million raise goal from mission-aligned investors. As of year-end 2024, the fund supported over 122,000 acres, of which 70% were organic, regenerative organic, or pasture. Over 18,000 acres were in transition to organic certification, and half of loans were directed to beginning farmers and underserved groups including BIPOC, women, and veteran farmers.
