- Author: Kathleen P Nolan
Dear Colleagues,
The Western Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) is a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that functions through competitive grants conducted cooperatively by farmers, ranchers, researchers and ag professionals to advance farm and ranch systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities.
Western SARE provides grants in several categories, and is currently soliciting applications for the following upcoming grants with November 2019 deadlines:
Professional Development Program Grants (Due November 13, 2019)
This grant program focuses on training agricultural professionals to help them spread knowledge about sustainable agriculture concepts and practices. PDP Grants are limited to $75,000. Grants can run for up to three years, with the final year to be focused on project evaluation. PDP proposal submission remains open from August 15 until November 13, 2019. Proposals will be reviewed by a technical panel in January 2020, and the Western SARE Administrative Council will select proposals for funding in March 2020.
Additionally, a Grant Writing Webinar will be offered on Wednesday, September 25, 3:00 PM PT. To join the webinar, please visit https://uwyo.zoom.us/j/ 135965992 with phone number, 669-900-6833 and meeting ID, 135965992#.
Farmer/Rancher Grants (Due November 11, 2019)
This grant program involves agricultural producers (main applicants) and technical advisor(s) implementing projects to address identified needs in sustainable agriculture. With the support and guidance of the technical advisor, producers must integrate research and education to conduct on-site/on-farm experiments to improve production, marketing, and the environment. It is expected that outcomes of funded projects will result in quantifiable benefits for producers, increase the preservation of the natural and social resources upon which agriculture relies, and be shared with other producers. Farmer/Rancher projects are limited to $20,000 for one producer or to $25,000 for three or more producers, for up to three years. Farmer/Rancher proposal submission remains open from August 19 until November 11, 2019. Proposals will undergo a technical review in January 2020, and the Western SARE Administrative Council will select proposals for funding in March 2020.
The Farmer-Rancher Call for Proposals is also available in Spanish. A grant preparation webinar will be offered on Friday, September 27, 2019 at 3:00 PM PT. To participate in the event, please Register Today!
Professional + Producer Grants (Due November 13, 2019)
This grant program involves agricultural professional (main applicant) and producers implementing projects to address identified needs in sustainable agriculture. With the collaboration of producers, projects must integrate research and education aiming to advance the three components of sustainable agriculture- environmental, economic, and social- and use innovative educational outreach to disseminate new knowledge to producers and other agricultural stakeholders. It is expected that outcomes of funded projects will result in quantifiable benefits for producers, increase the preservation of the natural and social resources upon which agriculture relies, and be shared with other producers. Professional + Producer projects are limited to $50,000 for up to three years. Professional + Producer proposal submission remains open from August 21 until November 13, 2019. Proposals will undergo a technical review in January 2020, and the Western SARE Administrative Council will select proposals for funding in March 2020.
The Professional + Producer Grants informational webinar is scheduled on Friday, October 4, 2019 at 3:00 PM PT. To participate in the event, please Register Today!
Research to Grass Roots Grants (Due November 20, 2019)
These grants are built on the SARE concept that results of applied research are used to train agricultural professionals and producers in the latest principles of sustainable agriculture. Successful R2GR projects will take the research results from previously funded SARE projects and bring those results into the field through education to ag professionals and producers. The maximum for each project's funding is $50,000. Proposals will be reviewed by a technical panel in January 2020, and the Western SARE Administrative Council will select proposals for funding in March 2020.
A Research to Grass Roots Grants webinar will be held on Wednesday, September 25, 3:00 PM PT. To join the webinar, please visit https://uwyo.zoom.us/j/ 135965992 with phone number, 669-900-6833 and meeting ID, 135965992#.
To learn more about these funding opportunities, review application requirements, and apply for funding, please visit the Western SARE website: https://www.westernsare.org/
Thank you.
Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)