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Professional Development Program Grant

Meg Moynihan wearing a flannel holding a bucket in the mud outside of a farm.
With support from a 2018 SARE PDP grant, Meg Moynihan is working to help agriculture advisors better respond to the stress they encounter on farms and in rural communities. Photograph by Cory Ryan, courtesy of University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

Managing Your Professional Development Program Grant

If you are a grantee or a member of a project team, you can use this section to find out how to manage your SARE award. You may also want to read this section to understand SARE's expectations before submitting a grant application.

Reporting Instructions for Professional Development Program Grants

Producers, agriculture professionals, and researchers awarded NCR-SARE grant funds have found wide-ranging outcomes that can help farmers and ranchers sustain their operations and the environment in which they operate.

As part of the contract for receiving SARE funds, project coordinators provide progress and final reports on their research efforts. These reports list the contact information, the participants, and their cooperators. They summarize project findings and outline objectives, research methods, and results. This growing body of knowledge on sustainable agriculture can be accessed in a variety of ways.

For Professional Development grants, an annual report is due for each full calendar year the project is active. Annual reports are due 60 days after the end of the calendar year (March 1). A final report is due 60 days after the project's end date. 

You can review descriptions of NCR-SARE projects, search all progress and final reports, or submit a report if you are a project investigator.

How to Submit A Report

Project leaders submit annual reports, followed by a final report at the project's conclusion. The project reports are divided into several sections, including a summary, objectives, materials and methods, and impacts/results/outcomes. The final report has additional sections that ask for information regarding economic analysis, publications/outreach, farmer adoption, and areas needing additional study. Project leaders are encouraged to upload supporting materials and products that have been developed through their projects. 

Reports are reviewed by the relevant regional SARE office before being posted to the SARE website.

If you have received a grant from NCR-SARE and need to submit a report, these instructions explain the process for submitting an NCR-SARE project report in the SARE Grants Management System. 

If you want to share a photo or video that includes minors (under 18), you must confirm that you've secured parental or guardian consent and upload the required SARE Photograph release and authorization forms in the "Signed Media Release Forms" section of your SARE project.

Your feedback will help us continue to improve. Please contact projects@sare.org to report problems; errors in report content, status, or instructions; or to request technical support.

General Financial Requirements for the Professional Development Program

If you are a grantee or a member of a project team, you can use this section to find out how to manage your NCR-SARE award.

You may also want to read this section to understand NCR-SARE's expectations before submitting a grant application.

Once your project is funded, you need to be aware of NCR-SARE's general requirements and guidelines.

Key points are: 

  • Your Professional Development grant will be paid as a reimbursement. You will need to submit an invoice as specified in your contract. You can submit invoices as frequently as once per month. This template is available for you to use to work on your invoice. Invoices should be emailed to sub-inv@umn.edu. Please note that food can only be included as part of your project if it is to provide for the continuity of the meeting. Be sure to submit a meeting agenda and attendee list for food expense reimbursement.
  • We require annual reports each year and a final report 60 days after the project ends. 
  • We will not make a final payment until all reports are submitted. 

Requesting a No-Cost Extension or Rebudget for Professional Development Grants

NCR-SARE grantees may request a no-cost extension for their project if it will not be completed by the project end date. Grantees are encouraged to make their requests at least two months before the project's original end date.

No-cost extension and rebudgeting requests should be emailed to the relevant program contact for the particular NCR-SARE grant program you have received funding for. 

For Professional Development Program (ENC) grants, have your grants office send a no-cost extension request to Riana Fletcher, fletc070@umn.edu, and copy Dr. Rob Myers (myersrob@missouri.edu). Requests should be made on letterhead by the project PI. The letter must also be signed by an Authorized Organizational Representative.

Information that must be included in your letter:

  • The UMN subaward number — begins with H######## (You can contact NCR-SARE for this number)
  • The NCR-SARE project number (ENC##-###)
  • The proposed new end date of your project and number of months for the extension.
  • The reason for the request
  • If the way that you plan to spend the remaining funds is much different from what was originally proposed, you will also need to request a rebudget

Rebudgeting Instructions

We recognize that budget projections are estimates, and you have the flexibility to adjust spending as described below, as long as it is within the scope of the grant. 

Within a major budget category (salaries, travel, supplies), you can make changes without notifying NCR-SARE or requesting approval. You can also adjust up to 10% of the total amount of the grant among major budget categories. If you intend to adjust more than 10% of the total amount of the grant the following information that must be included in your request:

  • The UMN subaward number — begins with H######## (You can contact NCR-SARE for this number)
  • The NCR-SARE project number (ENC##-###)
  • The reason for the request
  • Please use the following template for your rebudget request:
 Original BudgetRevised BudgetChange
Personnel               
1. Salaries    
2. Fringe benefits   
SUBTOTAL    
    
Non-Personnel   
3. Supplies    
4. Travel   
5. Publications    
6. Computer, Other Equipment   
7. Other Direct Costs   

If the scope of work has changed along with the budget, your proposed changes will need to be approved by our Executive Committee.

The final invoice and final report for your project must be in the NCR-SARE office no later than 60 days after the final end date of your project. 

NCR-SARE will not pay the final invoice for the project until the final report is submitted and approved.

Requesting a change in the Project Coordinator or a Change in Project Scope

A change in Project Coordinator can be requested by the institution. 

For Professional Development Program (ENC) grants, have your grants office send a request to Riana Fletcher, fletc070@umn.edu, and copy Dr. Rob Myers (myersrob@missouri.edu). Requests should be made on letterhead by the project PI. The letter must also be signed by an Authorized Organizational Representative.

Information that must be included in your letter:

  • The UMN subaward number — begins with H######## (You can contact NCR-SARE for this number)
  • The NCR-SARE project number (ENC##-###)
  • The reason for the change in project coordinator
  • Attach a short resume or c.v. for the new project coordinator and include contact information.

Rob Myers will contact the proposed project coordinator to answer questions and make sure they are aware of the grant requirements and expectations, and willing to take over the project.

He will then pass the information along to the NCR-SARE Executive Committee for approval.  Once approved, he will notify Riana Fletcher to amend the contract, and notify the institution that the project coordinator change has been approved.

For changes in scope, similar information should be supplied and Rob Myers will contact the project coordinator to discuss the proposed changes, alternatives before passing the request on to the Executive Committee for approval.

Promoting and Publicizing your SARE Project

Do you have an upcoming field day or webinar scheduled as part of your SARE project? Would you like our help publicizing or promoting your SARE project? NCR-SARE can help! 

If you're interested in having help promoting your SARE project-related event, please email the following information to NCR-SARE Communications Specialist, Marie Flanagan. 

  • NCR-SARE Grant Project Number (i.e. FNC##-###):
  • Grantee's First and Last Name:
  • Name of Event:
  • Date of Event:
  • Location of Event (Venue, City, State):
  • Website for Event:
  • Type of Event (i.e. field day, webinar, conference):
  • Registration Information:
  • How can NCR-SARE help?
  • Twitter handle, instagram handle, and/or Facebook page name

Publications

NCR-SARE can also send you SARE-related educational resources for you to share at your event. You can view many of our outreach materials online. If you're interested in receiving copies of SARE materials to promote your project, please contact Marie Flanagan to make arrangements at mart1817@umn.edu. 

Social Media

Social media represents a powerful way of connecting with and delivering information to NCR-SARE’s range of audiences, including farmers and ranchers, agricultural educators, researchers, the agricultural media, service providers, government agencies, and others. Tagging or mentioning NCR-SARE in your social media posts will give NCR-SARE the opportunity to share your social media posts with our expanding social media audience. You can follow NCR-SARE and mention NCR-SARE in your grant project-related posts - we're @ncrsare on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. On Facebook, you can tag NCR-SARE in your photos or posts about your SARE project. You can tag NCR-SARE in any post or comment section by typing @NCRSARE in the post. Click on the "Tag Photo" option at the bottom of the photo to tag @NCRSARE in a photo. Facebook will send a notification to us that we've been tagged in your posts and photos, and then we can share your information with our Facebook friends. 

On Twitter and Instagram, a message that contains another user’s @username anywhere in the body of the message is called a "mention." When you mention @ncrsare in a message, the message will be immediately sent to the home stream of everyone who is following you. When you mention @ncrsare on Twitter or Instagram, we'll get a notification. Then we can share your information with our Twitter and Instagram followers.

Submitting Photos with your Grant Project

By uploading photos or videos to your report, you are indicating that you own or have secured the image rights to their use and grant SARE and USDA non-exclusive authority to use them in all current and future information products.

ATTENTION: Photos of MINORS need additional photo release forms uploaded.

If you want to share a photo or video that includes minors (under 18), you must confirm that you've secured parental or guardian consent and upload the required SARE Photograph release and authorization forms in the "Signed Media Release Forms" section of your SARE project.

Farmer Field Day Toolkit

Field days are a great way to share innovative ideas in sustainable agriculture with fellow farmers and ranchers, but organizing an event can be time-consuming, especially if you have limited experience. SARE's Farmer Field Day Toolkit can take some of the pressure off—it provides tips and tools on key aspects of event planning.

Acknowledging SARE and USDA-NIFA as your Funding Sources

LOGO FILES

Language and logos have been developed to include on products and publications associated with SARE, and were updated in 2015. The awardee is responsible for acknowledging SARE and USDA-NIFA support verbally during news media interviews that discuss work supported by SARE.

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact the NCR-SARE office.

NCR-SARE Main Office
1390 Eckles Ave, Suite 120
University of Minnesota
Saint Paul, MN 55108
Phone: 612-626-3113
Main Email: ncrsare@umn.edu