Lawrence Farmers Market gets $100,000 grant to expand outreach and events
A $100,000 federal grant will help the Lawrence Farmers Market add staff, new events and sharper marketing as it marks its 50th season.
The Lawrence Farmers Market has landed a $100,000 federal grant that organizers say will do more than pay for advertising. The money is set to help the downtown Lawrence market expand outreach, add events, and strengthen the business around 824 New Hampshire St. as it moves through its 50th season.
The award came through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service’s Farmers Market Promotion Program, which supports direct producer-to-consumer markets. For 2026, the program’s capacity-building awards range from $50,000 to $250,000, and applications were due June 5. The Lawrence grant fits squarely inside that effort to help markets grow beyond basic promotion and into broader market development.
The funding has already changed staffing at the market. Claire Wineman has moved into a full-time market manager role, and the organization added a part-time employee to support outreach. Leaders say that extra capacity should help the market support vendors, improve the customer experience and build steadier relationships with shoppers who are not already regular visitors.
The market is also working with Bark Media and Hosek Enterprises to review analytics, improve search engine optimization and refresh email newsletters. Emily Lysen, the market’s director of development, said the added advertising dollars should make it easier to reach people beyond the market’s core audience. That matters for a market that already has more than 20,000 Facebook followers but is still looking for more consistent growth in downtown foot traffic and vendor sales.
The Lawrence Farmers Market says it has 78 vendor members and is the oldest operating farmers market in Kansas, tracing its start to a pop-up in the Chamber of Commerce parking lot in 1976. A related market listing says it typically draws 55-plus local vendors selling produce, prepared foods, meat, herbal products, flowers, crafts and more. The market operates Saturdays from April 11 through Nov. 21, 2026, from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at 824 New Hampshire St.
The grant could also affect food access. The market’s Double Up program turns $25 in SNAP or EBT benefits into $75 in market tokens for fruits, vegetables and proteins, a setup that gives lower-income shoppers more buying power while supporting smaller growers and food producers. One of the first visible uses of the grant is the Local Food Cup on June 27, which runs from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with activities starting at 9 a.m. Voting for favorite local produce began June 1, and the event is designed to spotlight regional agriculture with tastings, giveaways and soccer-themed programming tied to Kansas’ preparations to welcome visitors from Algeria this summer.
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