*Despite the current government shutdown, these RFA’s will remain open, and the review process will continue. If the timeline changes, NSAC will update this blog post to reflect that.

Since 1988, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program has funded more than 9,380 farmer-driven research and education initiatives through competitive grant awards totaling nearly $478 million. As the only farmer-driven, sustainable agriculture competitive research grant program offered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), SARE provides farmers and researchers with vital opportunities to better understand agricultural systems and to increase profitability and build resilience to climate change. SARE-backed initiatives have furthered land and natural resource stewardship by funding research on topics such as soil health management, crop and livestock integration, soil erosion and runoff mitigation, and organic farming practices. In addition to research, many SARE projects also address social and demographic challenges faced by farming communities, including those encountered by underserved farmers, access to land, obstacles for young and beginning farmers, and rural quality of life.

SARE is administered through four regional councils of producers, researchers, educators, and government representatives. SARE regions include: North Central, Northeast, Southern, and Western. These regional councils are responsible for setting SARE policies and grant making processes. Because each of the SARE councils designs and administers their own regional grant programs, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) provides a periodic aggregation of funding opportunities and other activities from across the regions in our “SARE Roundup.”

Each of SARE’s four regional programs administers three primary grant programs: Research and Education (R&E), Professional Development Program (PDP), and Producer Grants. Some regions also offer additional grants for community innovation, graduate student research, agricultural professionals conducting on-farm research, and region-specific initiatives.

Read on for details about what is going on in your SARE region!

North Central SARE

NC-SARE currently has four grants open for proposals: the Partnership Grant, the Farmer Rancher Grant, the Research and Education Grant, and the Professional Development Grant.

The Partnership Grant Program is intended to foster cooperation between agriculture professionals and small groups of farmers and ranchers to catalyze on-farm research, demonstration, and education activities related to sustainable agriculture. NC-SARE anticipates funding 20 projects this year, with each project receiving up to $50,000. Projects are funded for up to 24 months and typically involve three or more farmers or ranchers. University educators, including extension agents and specialists, NRCS field staff, agricultural consultants, and nonprofit or agency staff assisting farmers and ranchers at the local level can apply for this grant program.

The deadline for the Partnership Grant Program is November 5, 2025 by 4:00 pm CST. 

Farmers and ranchers have critical insight when it comes to improving their systems. Whether they need to limit off-farm inputs, reduce erosion, create more time for family or community activities, learn marketing skills, or find other ways to enhance their livelihoods, farmers and ranchers can turn to the Farmer and Rancher Grant Program for grant opportunities and information. In 1992, NCR-SARE began a competitive Farmer Rancher Grant Program exclusively to fund farmers and ranchers striving for agricultural sustainability.

NC-SARE anticipates funding 40 Farmer and Rancher Grant Program projects this year. Projects must be completed in 23 months, and award limits vary based on grant team size: individual grants can receive up to $15,000, teams of two or more grants can receive up to $30,000. 

The deadline for the Farmer Rancher Grant Program is December 4, 2025 by 4:00 pm CST.

The NCR-SARE Research and Education (R&E) Grant Program is a competitive grant program for researchers and educators involved in projects that explore and promote environmentally sound, economically viable, and socially responsible food and/or fiber systems.

Research and Education projects include a strong outreach component and significant farmer/rancher or other end-user involvement from the inception of the idea through the implementation of the project. NC-SARE anticipates funding 16 R&E Grant Program projects this year. Projects must be completed in 36 months, and grant awards range from $10,000 to $250,000.

The deadline for the Research and Education (R&E) Grant Program is December 4, 2025 by 4:00 pm CST.

The Professional Development Grant Program supports state professional development programs and competitive grants for training agricultural professionals. Professional Development Program (PDP) competitive grants emphasize training agricultural educators in extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service, private, and not-for-profit sectors, using farmers as educators and addressing emerging issues in the farm community. Applicants are educators who often represent but are not limited to, Extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and non-profit groups. PDP competitive grants are awarded for state and multi-state PDP projects that emphasize cross-agency training, using farmers as educators and addressing emerging issues in the farm community. 

NC-SARE anticipates funding 10-12 PDP projects this year. Projects may last up to 36 months, and grant awards are made up to $120,000.

The deadline for the Professional Development Grant Program (PDP) is November 5, 2025 by 4:00 pm CST.

For a list of NC-SARE grants funded in your region search the SARE database.

Northeast SARE

NE-SARE currently has one grant open for proposals, the Farmer Grant Program.

Northeast SARE offers grants to farmers to explore new concepts in sustainable agriculture conducted through experiments, surveys, prototypes, on-farm demonstrations or other research and education techniques. Farmer Grant projects address issues that affect farming with long-term sustainability in mind.

Competitive proposals explore new ideas and techniques or apply known ideas in new ways or with new communities. Reviewers look to fund projects that are well-designed to meet proposed objectives and promise the greatest benefit to farming communities.

Awards typically range from $5,000 to $30,000, depending upon a project’s complexity and duration. Projects that are more complex include multi-farm collaboration, intensive education for other farmers and/or service providers, and/or replicated research over multiple years or locations. Simpler, straightforward proposals with modest budgets are equally encouraged.

The deadline for Farmer Grants is December 9, 2025 by 5:00 pm EST. Northeast SARE Farmer Grant Administrator Candice Huber will be hosting a series of drop-in Q&A sessions from Noon to 1:00 pm EST on Tuesdays in November. Sessions will take place on: Nov 4, 11, 18, and 25. You can register for a Q&A session here.

For a list of NE-SARE grants funded in your region, search the SARE database.

Southern SARE

S-SARE currently has three grants open for proposals: the Research and Education Grant, the Professional Development Program Grant, and the Producer Grant.

Research and Education Grants are competitive research grants for teams of interdisciplinary researchers that encourage a systems approach in sustainable agriculture.

S-SARE offers three categories for Research and Education Grants: production research, postharvest-food systems research, or a continuum that spans both.

• Production research—Focused on actual production methods, this kind of research has made up the bulk of SARE’s project portfolio in the past and has developed techniques that have become common tools for farmers. SSARE continues to fund these types of research proposals as they provide key parts of a larger holistic system, particularly as they relate to farmer participation in our program and complement the Producer, On-farm, Professional Development, and Graduate Student grant programs.
• Postharvest/food systems research—These projects examine what happens past the farm gate such as in the markets, distribution systems and policy making. This category can serve as a funding path for social science researchers to also make a difference in our farm and food systems.
• A combination of production and postharvest/food systems research—While some research can be separated into production and postharvest levels, we also seek to encourage attempts to provide integration of the different levels of the agricultural system, as well as the different sciences that lend more value to the results. The ultimate in systems research would connect what goes on in the ground with everything that happens after a crop is harvested, including adding value, marketing, infrastructure for processing and transportation, as well as policy making.

Research and Education Grants require a two-step application process: A pre-proposal application process and a full proposal application process for those invited by the review committee to submit a full proposal. Research and Education Grant project maximums are $400,000, limited to three 3 years.

The deadline for Research and Education Grants is November 21, 2025 by 12:00 pm EST.

Professional Development Program Grants, known as train-the-trainer grants, are available to help further education and outreach strategies for ag professionals and ag educators who work directly with farmers and ranchers.

The grant funds training activities that educate ag professionals in up-to-date strategies and technologies to help farmers and ranchers increase profits and lessen environmental impacts. PDP grants support such activities as producing workshops, creating educational manuals and videos, or conducting on-farm tours and demonstrations.

The application process for Professional Development Program Grants requires a pre-proposal, followed by a full proposal for those applicants invited to submit one by the regional review committees. One or two year projects can be funded up to $100,000. 

The deadline for Professional Development Program Grants is November 14, 2025 by 12:00 pm EST.

Producer Grants support farmers and ranchers in developing sustainable production and marketing practices. The goal of the program is for farmers and ranchers to conduct projects to solve challenges and problems they face and develop information on what works and does not work, so that others facing those same problems can benefit from the results of the funded project. Any farmers or ranchers and farmer/rancher organizations throughout the Southern region are eligible to apply, and the maximum funding amount for individual farmers/ranchers is $20,000 and $25,000 for farmer/rancher organizations. Project duration is for 2 years.

The deadline for the Producer Grants is December 5, 2025 by 12:00 pm EST.

For a list of S-SARE grants funded in your region, check out these examples in the SARE database.

Western SARE

W-SARE currently has five grants open for proposals: the Research and Education Grant, the Professional + Producer Program Grant, Framer/Rancher Program Grant, the Professional Development Grant, and the Local Education and Demonstration Grant.

The Research and Education Grants involve scientists, agricultural producers, and others using interdisciplinary approaches to advance sustainable agriculture at local and regional levels. With the collaboration of producers, projects must integrate rigorous research and education aiming to advance the three components of sustainable agriculture- environmental, economic, and social- and use innovative educational outreach to disseminate new knowledge to students, producers, and other agricultural stakeholders. 

Projects must incorporate research and education, and bring together a team of researchers, students, ag professionals, and producers. Project budget is $350,000 maximum, with project length 1-3 years.

The deadline for Research and Education Grants is November 10, 2025 by 5:00 pm MST.

The Professional + Producer Grant Program involves agricultural technical advisors (main applicant) and producers implementing projects to address identified needs in sustainable agriculture. With the collaboration of at least three producers, projects must integrate research and education aiming to advance the three components of sustainable agriculture- environmental, economic, and social- and use innovative educational outreach to disseminate new knowledge to producers and other agricultural stakeholders.

Project budget is $85,000 maximum, with project length 1-3 years.

The deadline for Professional + Producer Program Grants is November 20, 2025 by 12:00 pm MST.

The Farmer/Rancher Grants Program supports agricultural producers (main applicant) working with technical advisors in implementing projects addressing identified needs in sustainable agriculture and conducting outreach on the topic. Producers and technical advisors must integrate research and education to conduct on-site/on-farm experiments to improve production, marketing, and the environment. Both research and education components must be distinct elements of the proposal. The goal of this program is to find ways to protect the environment, enhance farm income, and improve the quality of life for farming/ranching families, communities, and society as a whole. 

Farmer/Rancher projects are limited to $35,000 with project length 1-3 years.

The deadline for the Farmer/Rancher Grants Program is November 20, 2025 by 12:00 pm MDT.

The Professional Development Grants Program focuses on training agricultural professionals to help them spread knowledge about sustainable agriculture concepts and practices. Projects should increase agricultural professionals’ sustainable agriculture knowledge, skills and action, and they should have outreach plans demonstrating delivery of knowledge. 

Projects can be up to 3 years (36 months) in length and funded up to $100,000.

The deadline for Professional Development Grants is November 20, 2025 by 12:00 pm MST.

For a list of W-SARE grants funded in your region search the SARE database!

SARE Application Process

SARE proposals must be submitted online via this portal. Once submitted, proposals are reviewed by a Technical Review Panel against the criteria outlined in the grant’s open call and in comparison, with other submitted grant proposals. The SARE Administrative Council for the region – typically, a board of agricultural producers, scientists, educators and business leaders – then makes the final selections of projects to fund. The Council typically selects proposals that are diverse in subject matter and geography, and that demonstrate outcomes that farmers and ranchers in the region can successfully adopt.

SARE publishes a summary of funded projects by state. The portfolio summary breaks down funding by SARE project type and total funding per state since 1988, and the grant list includes every grant awarded in the state by title.

Find out more about SARE projects in your state here.