The Northeast Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) Center, in conjunction with the North Central, Southern, and Western Centers announces competitive funding opportunities for educational projects designed to help agricultural producers improve their economic viability through targeted risk management strategies.
Donor Name: Northeast Extension Risk Management Education (ERME) Center
States: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 11/17/2022
Size of the Grant: $100,000
Grant Duration: 18 months
Details:
The ERME program provides funding for outcome-based risk management education projects designed to help producers learn and use tools and approaches that can reduce the adverse effects of the uncertainties of weather, yields, prices, credit, government policies, global markets and other factors, including human resources and legal issues – all of which may result in wide swings in farm income or threaten the economic viability of the farm or ranch. Applications must clearly identify what the risk management outcomes will be for producers and how they will improve their economic viability. Applications must also develop and use measurable outcome verification to evaluate the progress that participating producers make toward achieving the proposed risk management outcomes.
ERME is soliciting applications under the following program areas:
- Education Grants
- Standard Education Projects
- This funding opportunity focuses on educational projects designed to help agricultural producers improve their economic viability through targeted risk management strategies. Proposed programs should address any of the five areas of risk: production, marketing, financial, legal or human. The maximum award will be $50,000 with a grant duration of 18 months. Each regional Center anticipates funding 12-15 new grants from this announcement, subject to the availability of funds and the quality of applications received.
- Exploratory Projects
- This funding opportunity focuses on smaller, simplified grants are for the purpose of initiating new ideas through producer education programs which address farmer/rancher risk management education needs. Exploratory projects can be used to organize and host a producer education workshop or conference or be used for development projects that lead to application for a Standard Education project in a future year. The maximum award will be $5,000 with a grant duration of 18 months.
- Standard Education Projects
- Producers Underserved by Crop Insurance Grants
- This funding opportunity is specifically designated for the delivery of risk management education to agricultural producers underserved by the Federal crop insurance program, with proposed educational programming that aligns with one or more of the five areas of risk: production, marketing, financial, legal or human. The maximum amount of requested funding shall not exceed $100,000 for 18-month projects to be conducted between April 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024.
Criteria
This announcement seeks applications from qualified public and private groups, organizations, and institutions including land grant colleges and universities, Cooperative Extension, other colleges and universities, and other public and private entities with a demonstrated capacity to develop and deliver results/impact-based risk management education projects for agricultural producers and their families. The Northeast Center serves Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
Eligible Entities
- Any public or private organization that has demonstrated experience in providing agricultural education or other agriculturally related training to producers including forestland owners. This includes, but is not limited to:
- An 1862, 1890, or 1994 land grant institution, or other institutions of higher education, including community colleges, that deliver agricultural education.
- An Indian tribal community college, an Alaska Native cooperative college, an Indian tribe, or a national tribal organization.
- A Hispanic-serving institution of higher education.
- Agricultural organizations, agencies, or other entities.
Individuals are NOT eligible applicants.
Grant applicants and their partners, affiliates, and collaborators for this Announcement will not be allowed to receive funding to conduct activities that could be perceived by producers as promoting the services or products of one private company over the services and/or products of another company that provides the same or similar services or products. If applying for funding, such organizations must be aware of potential conflicts of interest and must describe in their application the specific actions they will take to avoid actual and perceived conflicts of interest. Applications from applicants who inadequately identify and/or disclose conflicts of interest may result in, among other possible outcomes, additional explanation of project activities, application rejection, funding reimbursement denial, and/or project termination.
Qualifying Criteria for Applications
Any applications that are non-compliant with the following requirements will be at risk of being excluded from review. Applicants disqualified on these grounds will be notified via email.
Applications must comply with the submission instructions and content requirements set forth in this announcement, including the Required Documents Section
- Any application that arrives later than 5:00:59 PM (EST) will be disqualified from competition.
- Applications must be submitted via the online Results Verification System through the applicant’s regional ERME Center website, except in extenuating circumstances as determined and documented by that Center.
- Maximum amount of funding may not exceed the amount identified for each program area.
For more information, visit ERME Grant.
