Dear Colleagues,
Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) 2024 request for proposals:
Research and Education Grant Program:
This grant program involves scientists, agricultural producers, and others using interdisciplinary approaches to advance sustainable agriculture at local and regional levels. With the collaboration of producers, projects must integrate rigorous 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 students, 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 documented in scholarly journals and disseminated throughout teaching and educational outreach activities with students, producers, and other agricultural stakeholders.
Pre-Proposals Due: May 23, 2024 4pm PT
Full Proposals due November 2 by invite only
Maximum Request Amount: $350,000
Please see the RFA for specific details: https://western.sare.org/
Professional Development Grant Program
Professional Development projects must improve the ability of agricultural professionals to conduct educational programs and activities in sustainable agriculture principles and systems and to respond to inquiries on the subject from farmers, ranchers, and the public. In a “train the trainer” fashion, this program focuses on increasing knowledge and capacity for agricultural stakeholders to provide further training and information to other agricultural professionals and producers.
Full Proposals due: November 6, 2024, 11am PT
Maximum Request Amount: $100,000
Please see the RFA for specific details: https://western.sare.org/
Professional + Producer Grant Program
Western SARE funds proposals of innovative research and educational outreach for advancing sustainable agricultural practices in the Western U.S. An Agricultural Professional and three (3) Producers work together to conduct both research and education activities. The goal of this grant program is to obtain results that are applicable to agricultural production, sustain and improve the environmental quality and natural resources upon which agriculture depends, improve the profitability of farmers/ranchers, and enhance the quality of life of agricultural communities.
Project Team: Western SARE requires that agricultural producers be involved from inception to finish in the planning, design, implementation, and educational outreach of any WSARE funded project keeping in mind the inherently interdisciplinary nature of sustainable agriculture. Professional + Producer projects require a team of at least four (4) people, including an Agricultural Professional (Principal Investigator), and at least three (3) independent Producers.
Full Proposals due: October 22, 2024, 11am PT
Maximum Request Amount: $85,000
Please see the RFA for specific details: https://western.sare.org/
Farmer/Rancher Grant Program
The Western SARE Farmer/Rancher Grant Program focuses on advancing on-farm sustainability solutions by funding innovative producer-driven research and outreach. With a Farmer/Rancher Grant, an agricultural producer serving as the main applicant and Principal Investigator (PI) works with a Technical Advisor (TA) to develop a project.
Full Proposals due: October 23, 2024, 11am PT
Maximum Request Amount: $25,000
Please see the RFA for specific details: https://western.sare.org/
Sabbatical Research and Education Grant Program
Western SARE funds proposals of innovative research and educational outreach for advancing sustainable agriculture in the Western U.S. Sabbatical projects must contain both research and education components by bringing together a team of local partners (researchers, students, educators, and producers) along with a Sabbatical researcher to develop research, education, and human capacity at the Sabbatical Host Institution. Sabbatical grants must address local research and education needs with special emphasis on underserved communities, understudied geographic locations, and/or unexplored topics. The goal of this grant program is to obtain results that are applicable to agricultural production, sustain and improve the environmental quality and natural resources upon which agriculture depends, improve the profitability of agricultural producers, and enhance the quality of life of agricultural communities.
Full Proposals due: November 21, 2024, 11am PT
Maximum Request Amount: $75,000
Please see the RFA for specific details: https://western.sare.org/
Research to Grassroots Grant Program
The Research to Grassroots (RGR) grant program is built on the SARE concept that results of applied research are used to train agricultural professionals and farmers/ranchers in the latest practices of sustainable agriculture. Successful proposals must incorporate the research results from SARE-funded research projects and bring those results into the field through education for ag professionals and producers, emphasizing the strengths and barriers to adoption of the selected previous work, ultimately helping to increase producer confidence in adopting sustainable agriculture practices.
Full Proposals due: November 1, 2024, 11am PT
Maximum Request Amount: $100,000
Please see the RFA for specific details: https://western.sare.org/
Thank you.
Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)