North Central Region SARE administers four grant programs, each with specific priorities, audiences and timelines. The focus for all four NCR-SARE grant programs is on research and education. Funding considerations are made based on how well the applicant articulates the nature of the research and education components of their sustainable agriculture grant proposals. Scroll down to read more about each program and to find current calls.

Calls for Preproposals and Proposals

We make slight revisions to our calls for proposals each year, which means it is crucial for our readers to only have access to the most recent call for proposals. To ensure that our information is accurate, we remove the old calls when deadlines have passed in order to avoid confusion.

We try to allow about 60 days or more between the time that a call is released and the time when the documents are due. Timeline projections are based on past experience; future timelines are subject to change.

We post the Graduate Student Program call for proposals around late November and proposals are usually due sometime January. We post the Research and Education (R&E) call for preproposals in about April and preproposals are due in about June. Please note: the call for R&E proposals is not public; it only goes to those prepoposal authors who are invited to submit full proposals.

Click here to access a slideshow detailing the NCR-SARE grant programs. (PDF)

General Grant Program Timelines
Timeline projections are subject to change.

Youth Grant Program

2009 Youth & Youth Educator Sustainable Agriculture Grant

NCR-SARE announces the 2009 Call for Proposals for Youth & Youth Educator Sustainable Agriculture Grants. These grants are an exciting new part of the Farmer Rancher Grant program. Their purpose is to provide opportunities for youth in the North Central Region to learn more about Sustainable Agriculture. There are two options:

1. YOUTH GRANTS. These are grants for on-farm research, demonstration, or education projects by youth ages 8-21. Research and demonstration projects are for hands-on efforts to explore sustainable agriculture issues and practices. Education projects can involve teaching others about sustainable agriculture or attending a sustainable agriculture conference, workshop, or camp. $400 maximum.

2. YOUTH EDUCATOR GRANTS. These are grants for educators to provide programming on sustainable agriculture for youth. $2,000 maximum.

The deadline for Youth Grant proposals is 4:30 pm, Friday, January 30, 2009.

Questions? Contact Joan Benjamin at 402-472-0809, 1-800-529-1342 or jbenjamin2@unl.edu.

Farmer Rancher Grant Program

The deadline for the 2008 Farmer Rancher Call for Proposals was December 1, 2008, 4:30pm.

2008 Farmer Rancher Grant Application (Word format)
2008 Farmer Rancher Grant Application (PDF format)

Supports farmers and ranchers striving for agricultural sustainability.

• Questions? Contact Joan Benjamin or call (800) 529-1342
  
  Want to learn more about completing a NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant proposal?

  Click here to watch a video, "The Basics of a Solid SARE Grant Application" presented by Jim Peterson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Educator and Wyatt Fraas, Center of Rural Affairs. You must install RealPlayer in order to view this video. Click here for a free download of RealPlayer.

Research and Education Grant Program

The deadline for R&E preproposals was Monday, June 10, 2008.

2009 R&E Call for Preproposals (Word)

Supports researchers and educators with ideas for environmentally sound, economically viable, socially responsible agricultural systems.

We post the Research and Education (R&E) call for preproposals in about April and preproposals are due in about June. Please note: the call for R&E proposals is not public; it only goes to those prepoposal authors who are invited to submit full proposals.

Professional Development Program

The deadline for 2008 PDP Preproposals was Monday, May 26, 2008.

2008 PDP Call for Preproposals (Word)

Supports agricultural educators who learn in cooperation with farmers about sustainable practices and concepts.

We post the Professional Development Program (PDP) call for preproposals in about March and preproposals are due in about May. Please note: the call for PDP proposals is not public; it only goes to those prepoposal authors who are invited to submit full proposals.

Graduate Student Program

The deadline for 2009 Graduate Student Grant Proposals is Wednesday, January 28, 2009.

2009 Graduate Student Grant Call for Proposals

Provides funds to students enrolled in graduate programs at accredited colleges or universities who are exploring an aspect of sustainable agriculture for their thesis research or project paper.

We post the Graduate Student Program call for proposals sometime in late November and proposals are usually due sometime January.

The 2008 Graduate Student Grant Call for Proposals was due Wednesday, January 23, 2008.

Speakers Buureau Program

The Speakers Bureau program provides funds for organizations looking to promote sustainable agriculture by bringing speakers to meetings, workshops, and conferences. For more information go to our Speakers Bureau page.

• Questions? Contact Bill Wilcke, Regional Coordinator, (612) 625-8205

Documents for Grant Recipients

Click here to access SARE Grant Recipient documents

How to Write a Winning Proposal
http://www.sare.org/grants/howto.htm

Developing and Writing Grant Proposals
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
http://12.46.245.173/pls/portal30/CATALOG.GRANT_PROPOSAL_DYN.show

Grantwriting Services for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers
http://www.michaelfieldsaginst.org/programs/policy/producer_grantwriting_assistance.html

Conducting an Information Search on Your Research Proposal
Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), 2007
http://ofrf.org/grants/information_search_guide.html

How to Write a SARE Farmer Grant Application
by David Holm, Helen Husher, and Dale Riggs
Northeast Region SARE
http://www.uvm.edu/~nesare/farmerhowto.pdf (PDF|233 KB)

Información acerca de SARE da a un agricultor en español.

NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Program Tips Sheet
North Central Region SARE
http://www.sare.org/ncrsare/documents/FR_tipsheet_2006.pdf (PDF|95 KB)

Research & Education Grants. Professional Development Grants
Northeast SARE
http://nesare.org/downloads/big_grant_how_to_write.pdf (PDF|20 KB)

Outcome Measurement and Grant Writing
by Murari Suvedi and Ben Bartlett
Michigan State University
http://www.sare.org/ncrsare/PDP/evaluationss.pdf (PDF|116 kb)

Proposal Writing Short Course
The Foundation Center
http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/tutorials/shortcourse/index.html

Putting Together a Grant Proposal: A Follow Up Activity of Ensuring the South's Farm and Forestland Protection Workshops
Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, sample proposal
http://www.kerrcenter.com/train_trainer.pdf (PDF|81 KB)

Successful Grants Video
Western Region SARE, Utah State University, 2007
http://wsare.usu.edu/grants/index.cfm?sub=wsv2

Tips for Applying for SARE Grants
North Central Region SARE
http://www.sare.org/ncrsare/tips.htm

Tips on Writing a Competitive Grant Proposal
Western Region SARE
http://wsare.usu.edu/grants/docs/WritingTips.pdf (PDF|73 KB)

Why Did We Pick Them?
Examples of winning proposals and explanations of why they were selected.
Southern Region SARE
http://www.southernsare.uga.edu/winners.htm

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