Who can apply?
Agricultural professionals who provide sustainable agriculture education to Minnesotans.
Agricultural professionals are those who provide education about agriculture, including Extension staff, educators, NRCS personnel, state and tribal agency representatives, NGO staff, farmers who provide education for other farmers, and other agricultural service providers.
Priority is given to applicants who have not received a Minnesota SARE Travel Scholarship in the last two years. Scholarships cannot be used for international travel.
What can a Travel Scholarship be used for?
Travel Scholarships fund participation in professional development opportunities, such as conferences, workshops, farm tours, and other types of events. The goal is for the recipient to learn something new about a topic in sustainable agriculture, then share that information with their Minnesota-based stakeholders. Events must relate to sustainable agriculture and align with the Minnesota SARE Initiatives:
- Adapting to food system disruptions
- Building resilient local food systems
- Supporting farmers
- Addressing farm labor
To meet the professional development requirement, applicants must have a clear plan to share what they learn about sustainable agriculture with their audiences through educational materials or outreach (such as field days, presentations, or articles).
Amount and Budget
Travel Scholarships provide up to $500. Funds can cover event-related expenses, including conference registration, lodging, meals, airfare, mileage, rental vehicles, or rideshares.
Reimbursement occurs after the event takes place and the recipient submits a required evaluation survey.
Recognition
Recipients must credit NCR-SARE as a program sponsor on agendas and promotional materials, incorporating the NCR-SARE logo where appropriate.
Reporting Requirements
To receive reimbursement, recipients must complete a short post-event survey. The survey asks recipients to explain how they will apply the information in their work, outline their outreach plans (such as field days, newsletters, presentations, or client consults), and estimate how many people they plan to reach. Upon request, a recipient may instead provide their own summary of their event that includes attendee outcomes instead of filling out the MN SARE evaluation survey. A follow-up evaluation is conducted 6 to 9 months later to measure long-term impact.
Application
The Minnesota SARE Advisory Committee reviews all applications. A SARE coordinator may contact applicants for additional details or clarification before final funding decisions are made.
Applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Does the conference or event focus on sustainable agriculture?
- Will participation yield new knowledge or skills for the applicant?
- Does the applicant have a strong plan to share what they learn with others?
- Does the event align with current Minnesota SARE Initiatives?
- Adapting to food system disruptions
- Building resilient local food systems
- Supporting farmers
- Addressing farm labor
Travel Scholarship Timelines
- Applications accepted until January 31, with decisions announced by February 20
- Applications accepted until May 31, with decisions announced by June 20
- Applications accepted until October 31, with decisions announced by November 20
Forms