Applications are now open for 2023/24 SAREP Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Small Grants Program.
Donor Name: University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR)
State: California
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/10/2023
Size of the Grant: up to $20,000
Grant Duration: 1 year
Details:
The UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (UC SAREP) is a statewide program of University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR). UC SAREP envisions a food and farming system that:
- supports resilience through diversified production, marketing, and distribution systems,
- values all food system workers and supports their physical, economic, and social wellbeing,
- contributes to the health and vitality of urban, rural, and Tribal communities,
- is environmentally regenerative, using resources for production and distribution in a way that protects the environment in trust for future generations, including under changing climate conditions, and
- is culturally responsive and reflects the ethnic, linguistic, and cultural diversity of California.
Program Priority Areas
- UC SAREP will fund projects that fall within two priority areas:
- Support California’s farmers, ranchers, and land stewards of all scales in identifying, piloting, and transitioning to:
- environmentally regenerative approaches to producing crops and livestock (including but not limited to soil health, organic and agroecological practices, integrated pest management, crop diversification);
- pathways for realizing economic return from ecologically-sound crop management practices and fair labor practices;
- marketing and distribution strategies that support diversified, decentralized, and locally self-organized supply chains;
- strategies that promote producer-to-producer networking and producer-to-supply chain networking
- Support California’s rural, urban, and Tribal communities to identify, implement, and evaluate strategies to:
- expand access to healthy, sustainably produced, culturally appropriate foods;
- ensure worker wellbeing across the food chain;
- minimize the community and environmental costs of food production and distribution;
- strengthen connections between consumers and producers;
- establish and strengthen producer-to-producer connections and producer-to-supply chain connections
- Support California’s farmers, ranchers, and land stewards of all scales in identifying, piloting, and transitioning to:
Priority will be given to projects that benefit socially disadvantaged communities, Tribal communities, and/or socially disadvantaged farmers, ranchers, and land stewards. They strongly encourage projects that are led by individuals and/or community-based organizations from these groups.
Proposal Categories
- Category 1: Planning Grants
- Planning grants are intended to support processes that bring together diverse stakeholders to plan for larger, more complex research and outreach projects for which larger funds are being sought. Grantees may apply for up to $10,000.
- Examples of previously funded Planning projects include: the creation of a new food policy council; exploring how green jobs for women farmworkers can improve their working conditions and the well-being of their communities; building a research team and developing plans for conducting a life cycle analysis of California’s beef production system; and community food access planning in East Salinas.
- Category 2: Education and Outreach Grants
- Education and outreach grants include educational events, materials and outreach components of research projects. Grantees may apply for up to $10,000.
- Examples of previously funded Education and Outreach projects include: providing legal guidance to low-income entrepreneurs interested in urban and suburban farming, home-based food businesses and cooperatively owned agricultural companies in the San Francisco Bay Area; helping Southeast Asian and other small farmers in Sacramento connect with processors and buyers; implementing a bilingual educational campaign to communicate the importance of locally and sustainably grown produce from farmers of diverse backgrounds in Napa County; and developing and documenting opportunities and success stories for ecosystem services provided by rangeland stewardship.
- Category 3: Applied Research Grants
- These projects are intended to fund original, applied research in the above Program Priority Areas.
- An example of a previously funded research grant includes funding to study the effects of livestock guardian dogs on wildlife species and the potential for conflict with recreationists. Research projects should include an outreach component.
Funding Information
- Individual grants will be limited to a maximum of $10,000, with one Applied Research Grant awarded up to $20,000.
- Projects may begin as soon as May 1, 2023 and must be completed by April 30, 2024.
Who May Apply
- Eligible applicants include farm or food system businesses* operating in California, non-profit, tax-exempt organizations operating in California, state and local government agencies, tribal governments, and California public and private institutions of higher education. UC SAREP staff are not eligible to participate on the team of any project.
- Applicants must demonstrate meaningful collaboration and involvement of stakeholders in the design and execution of the project. Priority is also given to projects that foster cross-collaborations between multiple types of applicants, contributing to a unified approach in addressing core areas of concern. For example, partnerships may involve farmers/ranchers or indigenous land managers working with agricultural or food system professionals. These professionals can include staff of community groups and/or non-profit organizations, public agencies, and tribal governments, as well as UC Cooperative Extension specialists and advisors, and researchers at community colleges or other institutions of higher education. Any of these partners can be the lead applicant organization.
- Previous grantees are eligible to apply after they have submitted a final report for their previously funded project.
*Please note: Business applicants must demonstrate benefit beyond the immediate recipients. Grants will not be awarded for the sole purpose of purchasing equipment or making infrastructure improvements at individual farms or businesses.
For more information, visit University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR).
