The North Central Region-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) has launched a call for applications for its Youth Educator Sustainable Agriculture Grants 2021.

NCR-SARE recognizes that youth programs are a way to introduce new and exciting farming and ranching options to youth, parents, and community members. The Youth Educator program provides opportunities for youth to learn about Sustainable Agriculture (farming and ranching that is ecologically sound, profitable, and socially responsible). Youth Educator grants support projects by youth educators that encourage youth to try sustainable practices and explore sustainable agriculture as a viable career option.

Funding Information

NCR-SARE allocated $60,000 for the 2021 Youth Educator Grant Program. Educators can request up to $4,000 for youth education projects

Timeframe

Project Length and Reporting: If funded, you have up to 23 months to complete your project. A progress report and budget are due January 31, 2022, and a final report and budget are due January 31, 2023.

Eligibility Criteria

• A Youth Educator is someone who teaches youth about sustainable agriculture; this may include professional educators (4-H, FFA, Extension, grade school, high school, community college, college, university), farmers/ranchers, home-schoolers, other youth, educators from non-profit organizations, etc.
• Proposals that involve farmers, ranchers, educators, and youth from historically-underserved populations are encouraged.

Evaluation Criteria

All proposals are reviewed by a committee with a special interest in youth education. Members include educators, farmers, ranchers, business and non-profit representatives, and researchers from throughout the North Central region. Funding recommendations are based on how well proposals meet the following four criteria. The weight of each criteria is shown in parentheses. 

• Project Design (50%)
  • Is there a well-thought-out, detailed plan to teach youth about sustainable agriculture practices and career options?
  • Will specific sustainable agriculture concepts and practices be taught?
  • Will the activities and approach engage young people and help them explore and understand career options and the three pillars of sustainable agriculture (profit over the long term; stewardship of nation’s land, air, and water; and quality of life for farmers, ranchers and their communities)?
  • If this grant will support an existing program, how will these funds create new opportunities for teaching sustainable ag concepts?
  • Will sustainable agriculture resources be used and are they spelled out?
  • Is there an appropriate timeline?
• Outreach (20%)
  • Is the outreach approach clearly described and well thought out?
  • Are there plans to share project information and results with other youth educators and the public?
  • Do the educator(s) plan to cooperate with farmers and ranchers, other youth educators, parents, and/or with organizations through which information can be shared via workshops, field days, publications, written materials, social media, etc.?
• Evaluation (15%)
  • Is the evaluation approach clearly described and well thought out?
  • Will evaluation methods be used to measure learning outcomes? (These grants are small and don’t provide funds for extensive evaluation but simple efforts can be used to measure what students have learned. For example: pre- and post-test surveys or simple hand count surveys to measure learning.)
• Project leader and/or team (15%)
  • Does the project leader and/or team have the skills and background to successfully carry out the project?
  • If the grant will support an existing program, what are some of the past successes of the program or your organization, and how will these funds build upon those successes to create new learning opportunities in sustainable agriculture?
  • Are farmers and ranchers involved?

For more information, visit Call for Applications.