SAREP Grants

Look for SAREP Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to be released in January 2000. SAREP expects to offer grants for graduate student support (up to $3,000 per individual) and educational events (up to $1,000 per event). These grant awards will be allocated in July 2000. RFPs will be sent to all California residents on the SAREP mailing list and will be posted on the Web site (www.sarep.ucdavis.edu) as soon as they are released. For more information, please contact SAREP grants manager Bev Ransom at (530) 754-8546 or baransom@ucdavis.edu.

USDA-SARE Producer Grants

Producers and producer groups residing in the Western U.S. can compete for grants to identify, evaluate and test their “in-the-field” sustainable agriculture practices and challenges through an effort sponsored by the USDA Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (Western SARE) program. The call for proposals will be released in mid-October 1999. Completed proposals are due at the program’s headquarters office at Utah State University by 5:00 p.m.(Mountain Standard Time) January 15, 2000. Individuals may apply for grants of up to $5,000; producer groups (three or more farm/ranch operations working cooperatively) may apply for up to $10,000. To request application materials, contact the host office at Utah State University at (435) 797-2257 or by email at wsare@mendel.usu.edu. The call for proposals is also available on-line at the Western SARE Web site, http://wsare.usu.edu/.

Grant reviewers will be looking for proposals that clearly define local sustainable agriculture problems or issues and propose innovative solutions. On-farm tests of suggested technologies and approaches are strongly encouraged. All research proposals must be led by one or more producers, include a professional agricultural technical advisor (i.e., farm advisor or university researcher), and provide a plan for sharing information gained with others in the community. Any commercial producer or producer group is eligible to apply for a grant. All funding is awarded competitively. The federal SARE program is managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, and directed regionally by four independent, broad-based councils. Utah State University is host to the SARE program in the Western region, which includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and the Island Protectorates.

Federal Food Projects Grants

The USDA’s Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program Request for Proposals for 2000 is expected to be released in late winter/early spring 2000. Approximately $2.5 million will be available each year through 2002. To find information on previously funded projects and to stay current with funding opportunities, access the program’s Web site: www.reeusda.gov/crgam/cfp/ community.htm.