Illinois SARE Grants

North Central Region SARE Grants



Contact Information:
Richard A. Weinzierl, Illinois SARE Coordinator
S334 Turner Hall
MC-046
1102 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801
(217)244-2126
weinzier@illinois.edu

Welcome to Illinois SARE Program

Since 1988, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program has advanced profitable and environmentally sound farming systems that are good for communities through a nationwide research and education grants program.

What can SARE do for you?

SARE offers grants for travel to educational programs and mini grants to advance knowledge and skills in the agricultural professional. There are also regional and national grant opportunities.

How do I find more information?

Search the SARE Learning Center for sustainable agriculture information-searchable by type of product and topic. These products cover the gamut of sustainable agriculture practices, from books on cover crops and building soil health to bulletins on managing rangeland and water resources to online courses for ag educators around the country.

Funding Updates

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

Four Major Conservation Initiatives Deadlines vary (see below)

NRCS accepts applications for financial assistance on a continuous basis throughout the year.

Applications will be ranked for each initiative in the following periods:

Seasonal High Tunnel: February 3, March 30 and June 1, 2012

Organic: February 3, March 30 and June 1, 2012

On-Farm Energy: February 3, March 30 and June 1, 2012

Air Quality Initiative: February 3 and March 30, 2012

At the end of a ranking period, NRCS ranks all submitted proposals for funding consideration. NRCS will notify all applicants of the results of the rankings and begin developing contracts with selected applicants.  

Seasonal High Tunnel Pilot Initiative:  NRCS helps producers plan and implement high tunnels, steel-framed, polyethylene-covered structures that extend growing seasons in an environmentally safe manner. High tunnel benefits include better plant and soil quality, fewer nutrients and pesticides in the environment, and better air quality due to fewer vehicles being needed to transport crops. More than 4,000 high tunnels have been planned and implemented nationwide through this initiative over the past two years.

Organic Initiative:  NRCS helps certified organic growers and producers working to achieve organic certification install conservation practices for organic production. New for fiscal year 2012, applicants will be evaluated continuously during the ranking periods. Applications meeting or exceeding a threshold score may be approved for an EQIP contract before the end of the ranking period. Applications rating below the threshold score will be deferred to the next period. A new threshold score will be established at the beginning of each ranking period. This new scoring process allows organic producers to implement conservation practices in a timelier manner.

On-Farm Energy Initiative:  NRCS and producers develop Agricultural Energy Management Plans (AgEMP) or farm energy audits that assess energy consumption on an operation. NRCS then uses audit data to develop energy conservation recommendations. Each AgEMP has a landscape component that assesses equipment and farming processes and a farm headquarters component that assesses power usage and efficiencies in livestock buildings, grain handling operations, and similar facilities to support the farm operation.

Air Quality Initiative:  NRCS helps producers address air quality concerns on their operations.  Assistance includes establishing cover crops, planting windbreaks, implementing nutrient management practices and applying other conservation measures that mitigate and prevent air quality problems.  Conservation practices installed through this initiative reduce airborne particulate matter and greenhouse gases and conserve energy.

Visit the NRCS National Web site for more information on how to apply for these initiatives and connect with an NRCS office near you.

Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)

Deadlines vary see below

USDA taking applications for Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) funding. For FY2012, USDA has $25.4 million in budget authority for REAP, which will support at least $12.5 million in grant funding and approximately $48.5 million in loan guarantees.

USDA is taking applications for all components of the REAP program with the following deadlines:

Agricultural producers and rural small businesses are eligible for the grants and loans for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements. USDA announced that applicants who applied for these grants and loans in FY2011 and were determined to be eligible, but were not funded, may submit a written request to USDA to consider the FY2011 application for FY2012 funds.

Additional information on REAP is available at the USDA website for the program.

Risk Management Education and Outreach Partnerships Program

Deadline: May 24, 2012

The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), operating through the Risk Management Agency (RMA), has announced available funds totaling approximately $3 million for the Risk Management Education and Outreach Partnerships Program. The Risk Management Education and Outreach Partnerships Program is a competitive cooperative partnership agreement program that provides crop insurance education and risk management training. It aims to help agricultural producers identify and manage production, marketing, legal, financial, and human risk.

The program prioritizes educating producers of crops currently uninsured under Federal crop insurance, specialty crops, and underserved commodities, including livestock and forage. It also prioritizes collaborative outreach and assistance programs for limited resource, socially disadvantaged, new and beginning and other traditionally under-served farmers and ranchers.

The minimum award for a cooperative partnership agreement is $20,000 and the maximum award is $99,999. The awards will be distributed on a competitive basis up to one year from the date of the award.

Projects must fall into one of the following Special Emphasis Topics:

Projects must also demonstrate that education or training will target at least one of the following Producer Types:

Interested parties may submit applications online only via grants.gov.

Farm to School grant program applications

Deadline: June 15, 2012

$3.5 million in new funding will be available to help local school districts organize and implement new Farm to School programs. Those critical initiatives seek to educate children about where their food comes from and improve the quality of school meals. At the same time, they also improve local and regional food systems and create new markets for local food producers.
Applicants encouraged to first submit a letter of intent and then apply for either a planning grant or an implementation grant.

Planning grants (intended for school districts just getting started on farm to school activities and are intended to help school districts or schools organize and structure their farm to school efforts for maximum impact by embedding known best practices into early design considerations) are expected to range from $20,000 - $45,000 and represent approximately 25 percent of the total awards. Who can apply: K-12 School Food Authorities, nonprofit private schools, charter schools, Indian tribal schools, and others that participate in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Programs.

Implementation grants (intended to scale-up or further develop existing farm to school initiatives) are expected to range from $65,000 - $100,000 and represent approximately 75 percent of the total awards are expected to range from $65,000 - $100,000 and represent approximately 75 percent of the total awards. Both grant types require at least a 25 percent funding match. Who can apply:  K-12 School Food Authorities, nonprofit private schools, charter schools, Indian tribal schools, and others that participate in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Programs,  State and local agencies,  Indian tribal organizations,  Agricultural  producers or groups of agricultural producers, and  Non-profit entities.
Priority Consideration Given to High Free/Reduced Price Meal Enrollment - Projects that serve school districts and schools that have high free and reduced price meal enrollment will receive extra points in evaluation scoring.

A Match is Required, Evaluation Too - For both types of grants, the applicant must provide at least 25 percent of the costs of the grant project as the Federal share of costs for this grant cannot exceed 75 percent of the total cost of the project. Authorizing language also states that as a condition of receiving a farm to school grant, each grant recipient shall cooperate in an evaluation of the program carried out using grant funds.

Pick One, Then Think about Partnering - Applicants must choose between submitting a Planning grant or an Implementation grant. Only one application per eligible entity is permitted. As appropriate, USDA encourages school districts, and other eligible entities, to work together and submit “cluster” applications where a USDA investment in, for example, one school district working with several districts, might benefit a wider geographic area than funding to any one district, or eligible entity, alone.

How To Access the Request for Applications (RFA) - The RFA will be posted on USDA’s Farm to School website and available at www.grants.gov (CFDA#10.575). Note that grants.gov will be unavailable due to scheduled maintenance April 28-29, 2012.

Important Dates
· April 17, 2012: Request for Applications Released
· May 18, 2012: (Suggested) Letter of Intent Deadline
· June 15, 2012: Proposals Due
· (Pending the Availability of Federal Funds) Shortly after October 1, 2012: Awards Announced and Funds Available

Webinars to Learn More:
Two webinars will be offered so that grant applicants can learn more about this grant opportunity. To receive additional information about webinars, please be sure to register for the Farmto School Listserve. We will also send registration links as soon as these come out.
· Tuesday, May 15th, 1:00 EST Implementation grants
· Thursday, May 17th, 1:00 EST Planning grants

Project Grants for Middle and High School Teachers
Deadline: August 19, 2012

The Dudley Smith Initiative is offering grants of up to $1,500 to middle school and high school teachers to fund innovative projects that create knowledge about agriculture and its impact on the community.

Proposals for projects beginning in the fall of 2012 must be received by August 19, 2012.
Award winners will be announced by September 2, 2012.

Application forms are available online at: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/cjmm/dsi

Education Highlight

Did you know that most of the books that SARE sells can be downloaded for FREE?

For example: You can buy Building Soils for Better Crops (a one-of-a-kind, practical guide to ecological soil management, now expanded and in full color). For $20.95, or you can Download the File (13.89 MB) at no charge.

Building Soils for better Crops

SARE's Learning Center offers a variety of sustainable agriculture information including:

Greenhouse Energy Conservation Strategies and Alternative Fuels