NCR-SARE Program is pleased to announce the projects selected for funding for the Youth Educator competitive grant program. For the 2019 Youth Educator Grant Program, NCR-SARE awarded $42,000 to 11 projects.
The competitive Youth Educator Grant Program supports educators who seek to provide programming on sustainable agriculture for youth. Those selected to receive funding included (in order by state):
- Stephanie Dunn of Star Farm Chicago in Chicago, IL was awarded $3,910 for the project, “Star Farm Chicago's Youth with Special Needs and Developmental Disabilities Sustainability Initiative Summer 2019.”
- Joshua Craig of the School Town of Munster in Munster, IN was awarded $3,954 for the project, “STEM and Sustainable Agriculture: Modeling an Interdisciplinary Approach in the High School Setting.”
- MaryEllen St.Angelo of Teter Organic Farm in Noblesville, IN was awarded $4,000 for the project, “Teter Farm Camp.”
- Timothy Chase of Murray Middle School in Saint Paul, MN was awarded $2,900 for the project, “Murray Middle School's Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry Grant Proposal - Soil to Table with Cultural Relevance.”
- Julie Grossman of the University of Minnesota in Saint Paul, MN was awarded $4,000 for the project, “Educating Urban Youth via Decision Cases and Curriculum on Hoop House Vegetable Production.”
- Joshua Payne of Payne Farms in Concordia, MO was awarded $3,999 for the project, “Come and See: Interactive Virtual Field Trips for K-12 Classrooms.”
- Indrani Sasmal of Dakota College at Bottineau in Bottineau, ND was awarded $4,000 for the project, “Sustainable AG Day: Sustainable Agriculture Promotion and Education Day for Middle School Students in Mid-Central North Dakota.”
- Hannah Scott of The Ohio State University College in Piketon, OH was awarded $3,946 for the project, “Cooperative Student Leadership Experience Pilot.”
- Kelsey Murray of Western Dakota Tech in Rapid City, SD was awarded $4,000 for the project, “Planting the Pond.”
- Matthew Fornoff of REAP Food Group in Madison, WI was awarded $3,966 for the project, “Accessible Experiential and Vocational Education through Urban Greenhouse Agriculture.”
- David Salmon of Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Madison, WI was awarded $3,978 for the project, “Jefferson Garden and Community Meal.”
Read descriptions of these projects online at https://northcentral.sare.org/Grants/Recent-Grant-Projects.
The focus for each of the NCR-SARE grant programs is on research and education. Funding considerations are based on how well the applicant presents the problem being addressed, the project's relevance to sustainable agriculture in the 12-state North Central region, and how well it aligns with NCR-SARE's goals, among other factors specific to each grant program.
NCR-SARE’s Administrative Council (AC) members decide which projects will receive SARE funds. The AC includes a diverse mix of agricultural stakeholders in the region. Council members hail from regional farms and ranches, the Cooperative Extension Service, universities, federal agencies, and nonprofits.
Since 1988, the SARE program has helped advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities through a nationwide research and education grants program. The program, part of USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, funds projects and conducts outreach designed to improve agricultural systems.