Research and Education Grant

About the Research and Education Grant Program

The North Central Region SARE (NCR-SARE) Research and Education (R&E) Grant Program is a competitive grant program for researchers and educators involved in projects that explore and promote sustainable food and/or fiber systems.

Research and Education projects include a strong outreach component and significant farmer/rancher or other end-user involvement from the idea's inception through project implementation. Generally:

• Research and Education grant awards range from $10,000 to $250,000.
• Projects may last up to 36 months or may be proposed as long-term projects.
• About 16 projects are funded per year.
• The NCR-SARE Administrative Council makes Grant-making decisions.
• Collaborative teams build research and Education grants.
• Producers are key participants in grant activities.
• Coordinators are encouraged to explore social, environmental, AND economic aspects of whole systems.
• All projects include a strong outreach component.
• A sample call for preproposals is available throughout the year, but you should always consult the current call for preproposals when applying.
• This eligibility quiz will help you decide if this program is a good fit for your idea.
• The portfolio of research grants is reviewed and awarded on an annual timeline.
• Review grants that have been previously funded.
• View the grants funded in the last grant cycle.
• This NCR-SARE Grant How-To Video Series aims to help more people feel equipped to apply for a SARE grant.

Many projects are interdisciplinary and/or multi-institutional, involving a broad range of agricultural interests. Project coordinators in the past have explored sustainable agriculture under the following topics:

• Sustainable pest and weed mgmt.
• Marketing and local food systems
• Water quality and nutrient mgmt.
• Systems research
• High tunnels and season extension
• Crop diversification
• Cover crops and soil health
• Small ruminants/poultry/cattle
• Pastured livestock/grazing systems
• Pollinators and biodiversity
• Urban agriculture

To receive more information about the NCR-SARE Research and Education Program preproposal/proposal process and timeline, contact the NCR-SARE office. Visit projects.sare.org to see reports of other projects.

A regional Administrative Council (AC) makes funding decisions, with review from a Technical Committee. The Administrative Council includes producers, university representatives, nonprofit group interests, Extension and NRCS staff, other government employees, and agribusiness representatives. This group sets research priorities and recommends projects for funding.

NCR-SARE's Long-Term Funding Option for the Research and Education Grant Program

NCR-SARE recognizes that some research/extension systems work is complex and requires a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach that takes many years to complete. To be effective, these projects are likely to exceed the time limits of North Central SARE's normal one-to-three year funding cycle. Projects that apply under the long-term (more than 3 years) option in the preproposal will be asked to briefly describe why this is a longer-term project and the project's estimated duration. The justification might include the complexity of the project's set-up or relationship building, the ecosystem processes at play, or the need for longer-term data collection/analysis. 

Recent Grant Projects

Click on the links below to access lists of funded project information. You can also view lists of projects that have been funded in your state.

Professional Development 2025 Professional Development Program Projects	Research and Education 2025 Research and Education Projects
Youth Educator 2026 Youth Educator Projects	Graduate Student 2025 Graduate Student Projects
Farmer Rancher 2026 Farmer Rancher Projects	Partnership 2026 Partnership Projects