Farmer Grant Program Information

Northeast SARE Farmer Grant Program

The Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Farmer Grant Program provides funding for farmers to explore innovative ideas and practices that support sustainable agriculture. Through on-farm experiments, surveys, demonstrations, prototypes, and other research and education activities, farmers can evaluate new approaches to challenges affecting their operations and share what they learn with other farmers.

Projects may address a wide range of agricultural topics, including livestock production, crop management, farm business and marketing, soil health, environmental stewardship, and economic sustainability.

Who Can Apply?

The Farmer Grant Program is open to eligible commercial farm business owners and farm employees in the Northeast region. Farms of different sizes and production systems are encouraged to apply, provided they meet Northeast SARE’s eligibility requirements.

Projects must take place in the Northeast region, which includes Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Review the current eligibility requirements and farm definition on the Northeast SARE Farmer Grant Program website.

What Types of Projects Are Funded?

Farmer Grant projects should explore innovative or improved agricultural practices and generate useful information for farmers. Successful projects are designed to address a relevant farming challenge and produce results that can benefit other farms or agricultural communities.

Projects must:

  • Be led by an eligible farmer.
  • Include a technical advisor who can provide guidance on project design and implementation.
  • Investigate an innovative practice or explore an existing practice in a new context.
  • Generate meaningful information or results that can inform farm management decisions.
  • Include activities to share project findings with farmers beyond the project team and participants.
  • Align with Northeast SARE’s funding priorities and proposal criteria.

Funding and Allowable Expenses

Grant amounts, project timelines, application requirements, and funding availability may vary by funding cycle. Visit the official Northeast SARE Farmer Grant Program website for current funding details and application deadlines.

Grant funds may support project-specific expenses, such as research materials and supplies, soil testing, consulting services, farmer time devoted to project activities, and expenses associated with communicating project results.

The program is intended to support research and education projects, not general farm business start-up or expansion. Expenses such as purchasing tractors or other durable equipment, constructing barns or other major farm structures, and covering routine operating costs are generally not eligible.

Applicants should review the current program guidelines carefully before developing a project budget.

How to Develop a Strong Proposal

A strong proposal begins with a clear farming challenge, a focused research question, and a practical plan for evaluating a potential solution. Consider the following steps:

  1. Identify a challenge or opportunity. Determine what you want to learn and how the results could improve your farm or benefit other farmers.
  2. Develop a project plan. Outline the activities, methods, timeline, and resources needed to investigate your question.
  3. Connect with a technical advisor. Work with an appropriate advisor to strengthen your research design, data collection, and evaluation methods.
  4. Plan to share your findings. Identify how you will communicate results and lessons learned to other farmers.
  5. Review the application requirements. Consult Northeast SARE’s current call for proposals, eligibility criteria, budget guidance, and application instructions.

Additional Resources

Explore these resources to learn more about the Farmer Grant Program and prepare an application:

Farmers interested in applying are encouraged to review the current program guidelines and contact Northeast SARE with questions about eligibility, project development, or the application process.