Minnesota SARE Mini Grants
Who can apply for a Mini Grant?
Minnesota SARE offers Mini Grants to agricultural professionals (e.g., Extension, NRCS, state and tribal agencies, NGOs) and farmers for programming in sustainable agriculture.
What can a Mini Grant be used for?
Mini Grants funds support projects that host educational events for educators, helping them gain knowledge to bring back to their communities. A project meets the professional development requirement if a significant portion of its audience consists of educators. If the primary audience is farmers, the project must include a plan to share results beyond individual operations (such as through field days, newsletters, or farmer-to-farmer networks) to fulfill the requirement.
Mini Grants provide support for organized programs such as field days, farm tours, workshops, etc. Mini Grants may also be used to help fund on-farm research trials or demonstration plots as long as there is an associated outreach component. Priority will be given to events that relate to Minnesota SARE Initiatives: (these include adapting to a changing climate and other food system disruptions, building resilient local food systems, and supporting emerging farmers, and/or addressing farm labor).
Amount and Budget
Mini Grants of up to $2000 can be awarded. Mini Grant funds can be used for expenses related to guest speakers, facilities, or other logistics related to the conducting of an educational program. Mini Grant funds may be used for meals or refreshments if these expenses contribute to the continuity of the event.
Recognition
Recipients must recognize NCR-SARE as a program sponsor on agendas or promotional materials and include the NCR-SARE logo where appropriate.
Reporting Requirements
To receive payment, Mini Grant recipients must submit a brief summary report detailing the number of participants and the outcomes of the activity, specifically how attendees will enhance sustainability based on what they learned.
Application
Your application form will be reviewed by the Minnesota Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Advisory Committee. You may be contacted by the SARE coordinator for more information or clarification before a final decision is made on funding. The following criteria will be used in the review:
- Does the project promote sustainable agriculture?
- Will the project result in new knowledge or skills for educators?
- Does the project have a strong outreach and education component?
- Will the project measure its impact?
- Does it relate to the current MN SARE initiatives?
- Adapting to food system disruptions
- Building resilient local food systems
- Supporting farmers
- Addressing farm labor
Mini Grant Timeline
Applications Accepted:
- July 1 through August 8, 2025
Applicants Informed:
- September 12, 2025
Forms