The 2026 North Central Region - Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) Youth Educator Grant "Call for Proposals” is now available with information about how to apply for this funding.
Youth Educator Grant projects provide opportunities for youth educators in the North Central Region to teach young people about sustainable agriculture (farming and ranching that is ecologically sound, economically viable, and socially responsible). Educators use the grants to encourage young people to try sustainable practices and see sustainable agriculture as a viable career option.
The maximum amount for grants is $6,000, and a total of approximately $90,000 is available for this program.
Application and Deadline
NCR-SARE is accepting online submissions for the Youth Educator Grant Program. More information about the online submission system can be found in the call for proposals.
Interested applicants can find the call for proposals online as well as useful information for completing a proposal at https://northcentral.sare.org/Grants/Apply-for-a-Grant/Youth-Educator-Grant/
Proposals must be received online or in the NCR-SARE office by mail or email by 4:00 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, February 12, 2026.
Attend a Youth Educator Grant Program Webinar
A webinar for the Youth Educator grant program will take place on Wednesday, December 10, at 4pm Central. We will cover details about the grant. NCR-SARE intends to record the meeting and post it online here. Register for the webinar online at: https://umn.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yVJ4iXvSQMeWXgsGfzNqTg.
About the Youth Educator Grant Program
Past projects have innovated and created best practices for starting school gardens, teen internship programs on farms, on-farm field trip series, and more. We encourage you to apply if you have a twist that builds on these types of tried-and-true education methods, or an entirely new way to engage youth with regenerative agriculture.
Instead of supporting programming, we fund projects that are both (A) developing innovative new ways to engage youth in learning about agriculture that considers economic, environmental and community viability, and (B) sharing what they learn with their fellow educators.
Outreach to other Youth Educators is an important part of this grant. When grantees share what they learned through their projects, they help create a ripple effect that will encourage their peers. This outreach can be simple but powerful, and help other educators feel more equipped to teach about sustainable agriculture.
You can find more information about sustainable agriculture at http://www.sare.org/ and in the Youth Education Topic Room at: https://northcentral.sare.org/resources/resources-for-youth-education/.
Online Office Hours
Liz Brownlee will be hosting a series of online informal Q&A sessions for potential applicants. Bring your questions; big or small, someone else is probably wondering about the same question. No registration is required for office hours. The dates and times for these sessions are listed below:
- Tuesday, December 30, 12pm Central: https://umn.zoom.us/j/94447384131?pwd=Tbaeca9degVPm8EBWsXIY71n5HlNLL.1&jst=2
- Tuesday, January 13, 4pm Central: https://umn.zoom.us/j/96313066004?jst=2
- Tuesday, January 27, 12pm Central:
https://umn.zoom.us/j/97238293385?jst=2
Questions
Applicants with questions can contact Liz Brownlee, Youth Educator Grant Program Coordinator, at brow7263@umn.edu or (812) 405-5681. Applicants should also contact Liz Brownlee if they need a hard copy or an email version of the call for proposals. We revise our calls for proposals each year, so be sure to use the most recent call.
Each state in SARE's North Central Region has one or more SARE State Coordinators who can provide information and assistance to potential grant applicants. Interested applicants can find their SARE State Coordinator online at https://northcentral.sare.org/state-programs/state-coordinators/.