Apply now for SARE Farmer Rancher and Youth Educator Grants

Katie Brandt<brandtk7@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension -

USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education funds farmer-led innovations and connecting youth with the land.

A pasture poultry operation.
SARE grants support groundbreaking work, such as Mshko'Ode Farm’s project comparing pasture health and meat quality impacts of two strategies for managing poultry on pasture.

Are you hoping to try out a new sustainable farming idea? Do you want to connect youth with sustainable farming on your farm or at a schoolyard garden? SARE grants from the North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NC-SARE) program might be a great fit for you!  

SARE Farmer Rancher grants fund on-farm innovations with up to $15,000 for a project on one farm or up to $30,000 for collaborations between two or more farms on a shared project. SARE Youth Educator grants fund sustainable agriculture programs for youth with a maximum budget of $6,000.  

Farmer Rancher grants 

SARE Farmer Rancher grants fund farmers to trial the innovative ideas that are inspired by working with the land. This funding is unique in the grant world because farmers design and lead these research, demonstration and education projects. Farmers can plan for projects with budgets of $15,000 for one farm or $30,000 for two or more farms. These grants are due Dec. 5, but you’ll want to join the webinar explaining Farmer Rancher grants on Oct. 3, 2024 at 5 p.m. ET to hear recommendations and ask the grant coordinator questions about the grant.  

Michigan’s SARE staff is available to meet with you to discuss your grant idea and to review your grant application as soon as you decide to apply. Michigan SARE coordinator Sarah Fronczak, Tribal SARE coordinator Emily Proctor and Michigan State University Organic Farmer Training Program mamanger  Katie Brandt are glad to advise applicants, review proposals and support farmers, educators and students applying for NCR-SARE grants. Grant-writing support is available free of charge for all six North Central SARE grants and for Michigan SARE mini-grants. Email froncza3@msu.edu, brandtk7@msu.edu or proctor8@msu.edu with questions, to have a proposal reviewed or to set up a time to discuss your proposal idea.  

If you’re considering writing any SARE grant, it can be very helpful to look at examples of SARE grants that have been funded in Michigan in the last few years. Michigan farmers are working on projects to share cultivation equipment, market unique crops like pineberries and groundnuts, help urban farmers in Detroit access water, and intercropping with mushrooms or walnuts, peaches and sheep. You might also want to look for SARE projects relevant to what you plan to do. Each SARE Farmer Rancher link above links to a summary and objectives for the project. Projects from 2022 and 2023 will also include project reports, with photos, slide sets, successes and challenges data, videos or other resources.  

Youth Educator grants 

SARE Youth Educator grants fund sustainable farmers to work with youth and fund teachers and educators to incorporate sustainable agriculture into their schoolyards, classrooms and curricula. In your grant proposal, you’ll want to show how youth participate in gardening or farming and learn about agriculture, sustainability and the possibilities for careers in the field of sustainable agriculture. Be sure that the project you propose is simple enough for the $6,000 budget maximum. For more information, join the SARE Youth Educator Grant webinar on Oct. 2, 2024 at 5 p.m. ET.  

A few examples of great youth SARE projects in Michigan were centered at Bandhu Gardens in Detroit, New City Urban Farm in Grand Rapids, WJP Urban Farm in Detroit, Bridgeman Elementary in southwest Michigan and Allen Neighborhood Center in Lansing. Or you can search for SARE projects to inform your proposal.  

Full list of SARE Grants in Michigan 

SARE funding supports farm innovations that are sustainable in three ways: 1) environmentally, 2) socially and 3) financially. Farmers, ranchers, educators, farm advocacy organizations, Michigan State University Extension staff, researchers and agriculture professionals are welcome to apply. Here is a full list of SARE grants available in Michigan:  

  • Youth Educator Grants – Up to $6,000 for projects that teach youth about sustainable agriculture and careers in sustainable agriculture. (Due Nov. 7, 2024) 
  • Farmer Rancher Grants – Up to $15,000 for one farm or $30,000 for two+ farms to design and lead research, demonstration and education projects in sustainable farm practices. (Due Dec. 5, 2024)  
  • Research & Education Grants – $10,000 to $250,000 for on-farm research, farmer education and other projects that explore and promote environmentally sound, profitable, and socially responsible food and/or fiber systems. (Pre-proposals due Oct. 10, 2024) 
  • Partnership Grants – Up to $50,000 for farm educators and agriculture professionals who partner with three or more farmers to research, demonstrate, educate or collaborate on issues important to sustainable farming. (Due Oct. 17, 2024) 
  • Michigan SARE Mini-Grant – Up to $1,500 to organize a conference or workshop addressing environmental, social and financial sustainability for Michigan or regional farmers and educators.  
  • Michigan SARE Travel scholarship – Up to $500 for agriculture professionals and sustainable farmers to attend a conference, workshop or event to gain sustainable agricultural skills or knowledge.  
  • Michigan SARE Farmer Forum – $6,000 to host and record an event featuring SARE grantees. 
  • SARE Tribal Mini-Grants for Michigan and Wisconsin – Up to $5,000 for Tribal agencies and Tribal farmers to organize 1) food sovereignty field days, farm tours, workshops or 2) on-farm research trials or demonstration plots with an outreach plan to share the project with the community.  
  • Tribal SARE Travel grants – Up to $500 for Michigan and Wisconsin Tribal farm eductators, agriculture professional and tribal farmers to travel for professional development.  
  • Professional Development Grants – Up to $120,000 for training agricultural educators, using farmers as educators and addressing emerging issues in the farm community. (Due April) 
  • Graduate Student Grants – Up to $15,000 for masters’ and PhD students at accredited colleges and universities to address sustainable agriculture issues in the North Central region. (Due April) 

SARE also shares numerous resources focused on innovative farming techniques for environmental sustainability, economic viability and farmer/community well-being. For more information about SARE grants and resources, visit https://misare.msu.edu/index.html or https://www.sare.org/.  

SARE has distributed $11.5 million to fund 333 grant projects in Michigan since 1988. The program supports an inclusive mix of farmers and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program or political beliefs.  

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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