Grants | Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture Program | College of Agricultural, Consumer & Environmental Sciences

Ceres Trust Organic Research Initiative

The Ceres Trust launches the sixth year of their Organic Research Initiative (ORI) program to support research that helps the region contend with “the loss of our beneficial weather patterns, severe degradation and loss of our soils, dwindling and contaminated water resources, widespread loss of pollinators, and the collapse of entire ecosystems.”

They fund organic projects that might show us a way forward by providing grants of up to $60,000 per year for up to three years in the region (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin). Grants must be submitted on or before September 25, 2015.

For more information see the RFP

NCSARE Graduate Student Grant Program

Graduate students enrolled at colleges or universities in the North Central region can submit proposals for up to $10,000 to fund sustainable agriculture projects that will be part of their educational programs. NCR-SARE expects to fund about 15 projects in the twelve-state North Central Region.

Download the application here

NCR-SARE will be accepting online submissions for the Graduate Student Grant Program using our online submission system. More information about the online submission system can be found in the call for proposals. NCR-SARE strongly encourages students to involve farmers and ranchers in their Graduate Student Grant projects.

Proposals must be completely submitted to the online system by 4 p.m. CDT, May 5, 2015. Potential applicants should note the deadline, and plan accordingly, since it may coincide with finals.

Potential applicants can contact Beth Nelson with questions at schre002@umn.edu or 612-626-4436.

2015 Conservation Stewardship Program Applications Due!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that funds will be available this year through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Although NRCS accepts applications all year, agricultural producers and forest landowners should submit applications by Feb. 27, 2015 to ensure they are considered for this year’s funding. Applications received after that date will be considered for future funding. Continue reading “2015 Conservation Stewardship Program Applications Due!”

Ceres Trust Grad Student RFA

The 2015 Ceres Trust Grad Student grants are now open for application. Detailed information can be found at cerestrust.org.

Program Description

Up to 10 one-year grants of up to $10,000 each will be made to support organic research by full-time graduate students (Masters and Ph.D.) enrolled at accredited colleges and universities in the North Central Region. The 12 states in the region are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Successful applicants will be eligible to apply and compete for a second year of funding.

Application Process and Proposal Format

Applicants may either fill out the application online or complete the application as a word document and upload, but should not do both. Applicants must abide by character counts as stated in the application. Characters include all letters, spaces and punctuation. Font must all be 12 pt. All requested attachments must be correctly uploaded in order for the applications to be considered. In addition to the online application, all applicants should also send four paper copies of their complete application to:

Ceres Trust, PMB 125

479 Mankato Avenue

Winona, MN 55987

Application Period

Applications may be submitted as early as January 15, 2015. The deadline for applications is March 31, 2015.

Grants: iSEE requests proposals for interdisciplinary research projects

UPDATE: A reminder that the deadline is Feb. 1 for pre-proposals (“white papers” of no more than three pages) for 2015 iSEE seed funding!

The Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) is making a Request for Proposals for 2015 seed grants to launch interdisciplinary, thematic research projects.

Pre-proposals should outline projects that address a global problem within one of iSEE’s themes:

Climate Solutions

Energy Transitions

Sustainable Infrastructure

Water and Land Stewardship

Secure and Sustainable Agriculture

Among the information the pre-proposal should include is addressing the strengths of the proposed interdisciplinary research team. Continue reading “Grants: iSEE requests proposals for interdisciplinary research projects”

Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship Program Open

Annie’s Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship Program gives out $100,000 a year to students pursuing degrees in sustainable agriculture. The company, which you can read more about here, is dedicated to producing responsible, simple, and nourishing packaged food. You can read about past winners by clicking the above image.

Eligibility Guidelines

The program is open to full-time undergraduate and graduate students studying at an accredited 2 or 4 year college or graduate school in the U.S. for the 2015/2016 school year. Students must be focusing studies on sustainable agriculture. International students may apply as long as they are studying at a U.S. school. Annie’s accepts applications postmarked between November 3, 2014 and January 5, 2015. If you are chosen to receive an award, you will be notified by May 25th, 2015, and funds will be dispersed directly to your school on or around July 2, 2015.

The Application

The application consists of two parts – your application and your supporting documents. Complete the application cover page, sign the form and draft a personal statement. Your supporting documents consist of an official copy of your transcript and two letters of recommendation from someone who can speak to your commitment to Sustainable Agriculture. The letters of recommendation must be from contacts that are NOT related to you. Letters of recommendation should be in a sealed envelope and the writer should sign the seal.

Click here for the application (Word Document).

Grants: Funding for Prairie and Savanna Research

Prairie Biotic Research (PBR) is an all-volunteer, Wisconsin nonprofit established in 2000 to foster basic biotic research in prairies and savannas. One way that they do this is through a competitive Small Grants Program that funds grants up to $1000 to individuals for the study of any grassland taxon anywhere in the USA, and this includes both natural history and experimental science. Continue reading “Grants: Funding for Prairie and Savanna Research”

News: USDA to provide $4 million for honey bee habitat

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced yesterday that more than $4 million in technical and financial assistance will be provided to help farmers and ranchers in the Midwest improve the health of honey bees, which play an important role in crop production.

“The future of America’s food supply depends on honey bees, and this effort is one way USDA is helping improve the health of honey bee populations,” Vilsack said. “Significant progress has been made in understanding the factors that are associated with Colony Collapse Disorder and the overall health of honey bees, and this funding will allow us to work with farmers and ranchers to apply that knowledge over a broader area.” Continue reading “News: USDA to provide $4 million for honey bee habitat”

NCR SARE Grants: Open Calls For Proposals

The deadlines to apply for NCR-SARE Grants are coming up! Details for all current grants below:

The 2015 Research and Education Grant Program Text | PDF
DEADLINE: October 23, 2014

Individual grants range from $10,000 to $200,000. NCR-SARE expects to fund about seven to ten projects in the twelve-state North Central Region. Continue reading “NCR SARE Grants: Open Calls For Proposals”

Ceres Trust Organic Research Initative

Application due date: September 25, 2014
Ceres Trust, a privately administered charitable trust based in the Midwest, has as its main focus the support and promotion of organic and sustainable agriculture. The competitive Organic Research Initiative (ORI) program awards grants of up to $60,000 per year for up to three years. Ceres Trust anticipates that up to ten grants will be made to universities and other nonprofit applicants in the 12-state North Central Region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Seven research areas that are of interest have been identified and appear online. Find the full list of research areas and more detailed information at the Ceres Trust website.