UC SAREP offers small grants for sustainable agriculture, food systems projects

The Lost Sierra Food Project works to increase rural food access and provide workforce development and farm education opportunities while proving to be a critical community anchor. It’s an excellent example of how UC SAREP’s Small Grants Program can have a large impact on the lives of Californians.

The UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program is accepting proposals for its 2025-2026 Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Small Grants Program. The program funds research, education and outreach, and planning projects that support the development of sustainable farming and food systems.

Proposals are due Tuesday, Jan. 14, 5 p.m.

Program Priority Areas  

UC SAREP is interested in projects that build the capacity of farming and food systems businesses and organizations to become reflective, adaptive learning organizations that can respond effectively to ecological, economic and social change and disruption.

UC SAREP will fund projects that fall within two priority areas:

Priority Area 1: Support California's farmers, ranchers and tribal and non-tribal land stewards of all scales in piloting, evaluating and transitioning to:

• environmentally regenerative approaches to producing crops and livestock (including but not limited to soil health, organic and agroecological practices, integrated pest management, crop diversification);
• pathways for realizing economic return from ecologically-sound crop management practices and fair labor practices;
• marketing and distribution strategies that support diversified, decentralized and locally based supply chains;
• strategies that promote producer-to-producer networking and/or producer-to-supply chain networking.

Priority Area 2:  Support California's rural, urban and tribal communities in identifying, implementing and evaluating strategies to:

• expand access to healthy, sustainably produced, culturally appropriate foods;
• ensure worker well-being across the food chain;
• minimize the community and environmental costs of food production and distribution; 
• strengthen connections between consumers and producers;
• establish and strengthen producer-to-producer connections and producer-to-supply chain connections.

Who may apply

Eligible applicants include: 

• farm or food system businesses operating in California (business applicants must demonstrate benefit beyond the immediate recipients),
• nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations operating in California,
• state and local government agencies, Tribal governments, and
• California public and private institutions of higher education.

Funding availability & proposal categories

Individual grants will be limited to a maximum of $10,000, with one Applied Research Grant awarded up to $20,000. Proposals are requested for three types of projects:  

• Planning Grants 
• Education and Outreach Grants
• Applied Research Grants

Please visit the UC SAREP Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Small Grants Program 2025-2026 webpage for more information and to download the RFP.

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