Graduate Student Grants provide sustainable ag research opportunities for Master’s and PhD students.
Donor Name: Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (Southern SARE)
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/08/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The main objective of the Graduate Student Grants is to prepare the next generation of scientists in researching sustainable solutions to the challenges farmers and ranchers face each day, and to prepare young professionals to work together with other scientists, educators, and farmers to test sustainable ag theories in real-world, on-farm situations.
SARE may be a small program compared to other USDA agricultural funding efforts, but it consistently has an impact out of proportion to its budget. One aspect of the program contributing to this success is the high level of continued engagement researchers have with the SARE program; researchers and extension specialists routinely revisit SARE as a source of grant funding for sustainable agriculture projects.
Funding Information
The maximum amount allowed for funding a Graduate Student Grant, even if indirect costs are entered, is still $22,000.
Grant Period
Two (2) years.
Allowable Expenses
Graduate Student Grant funds may be used for the following purposes:
- Materials and supplies needed for the project, including software. The materials and supplies must remain within the scope of the project and be a reasonable request relative to the research being conducted.
- Costs of sampling and data analysis, either in the lab or in the field.
- The purchase of equipment. Any equipment obtained becomes the property of the university that funded the graduate student grant.
- The rental of equipment or operating charges.
- Temporary irrigation and electric fences.
- Livestock or bees, only if the university does not already have animals available for use. The animals become the property of the university at project end.
- Graduate Student Labor. The graduate student may receive up to a maximum of 50 percent of the project total (salary and fringe benefits combined). This is actual identifiable work on the project and NOT a general graduate stipend.
- General labor (such as an undergraduate student or lab technician). If general labor is required for the project, the budget for general labor is capped at 15 percent of the project total (salary and fringe benefits combined). This is actual identifiable work on the project and NOT a general stipend.
- Special texts not readily available.
- Travel and per diem necessary for the project. This can include travel related to outreach efforts. Use your university per diem rules.
- Food and refreshments. You must demonstrate that providing food or refreshments is necessary to effectively execute your grant project or provide educational continuation of the outreach efforts (encouraging participation, fellowship or gathering as a justification does not meet the guidelines).
- Student travel to one meeting (not to exceed $1,000 including registration) to present his/her SARE-funded research.
Geographical Areas
Southern SARE accepts proposals from applicants in the Southern region: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Eligibility Criteria
- Master’s and PhD students enrolled at accredited institutions in the Southern region are invited to apply for Graduate Student Grants. Graduate students enrolled in an institution outside of the Southern region are not eligible, even if the research is being conducted in the Southern region. Grant funding is awarded to the institution and not to the student.
- Graduate Students may submit a grant proposal. However, they cannot be Principal Investigators (PIs) on the project. Advisors or major professors must be PIs on the project.
- Research projects must focus on sustainable agriculture and cover issues related to improving the profitability of farmers/ranchers in the Southern region; sustaining and improving the environmental quality and natural resources base on which agriculture depends; or enhancing the quality of life for farmers and ranchers and the communities they support.
- Research projects can be quantitative (component field research, for example) or qualitative (research that addresses social science issues).
For more information, visit SSARE.
