Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)

The Southern Region SARE Producer Grant program is requesting grant proposals from producers or producer organizations interested in conducting research or marketing projects related to sustainable agriculture.

Any producer or organization in the Southern Region (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) is eligible to apply.

Projects should be innovative, generate results that are useful beyond one year and produce information that many farmers can use. Successful proposals include cooperators such as other farmers, researchers, extension agents or specialists; an outreach plan for providing others an opportunity to learn from the project; and clear goals to ensure the project's success.

Online, visit
http://www.southernsare.uga.edu/producerpage.htm

The Southern Region SARE Program is requesting grant proposals from extension, NRCS and/or non-governmental personnel who work with farmers/ranchers in the Southern Region and are interested in conducting on-farm research or marketing projects related to sustainable agriculture.

On-farm grant research projects must be developed, coordinated and led by extension, NRCS and/or non-governmental organization personnel who work with farmers/ranchers and who will conduct the on-farm research with at least one farmer/rancher cooperator. Projects should be innovative, generate results that are useful beyond one year and produce information that many farmers can use.

National Science Foundation

The SBIR/STTR Programs stimulate technological innovation in the private sector by strengthening the role of small business concerns in meeting federal research and development needs, increasing the commercial application of federally supported research results and fostering and encouraging participation by socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses.

The STTR program requires researchers at universities and other research institutions to play a significant intellectual role in the conduct of each STTR project. These university-based researchers, by joining forces with a small company, can spin-off their commercially promising ideas while they remain primarily employed at the research institution. Only firms qualifying as a small business concern are eligible to participate.

Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES), U.S. Department of Agriculture

The purpose of the NRI Program is to support research, extension and education grants that address key problems of national, regional and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of agriculture (farming, ranching, forestry including urban and agroforestry, aquaculture, rural communities, human nutrition, processing, etc.).

Providing this support requires that NRI advance fundamental sciences in support of agriculture and coordinate opportunities to build on these discoveries. Building on these discoveries will necessitate new efforts in education and extension that deliver science-based knowledge to people, allowing them to make informed practical decisions. In FY 2007, the NRI Program will accept applications for fundamental research, mission-linked research, and integrated research, extension and education projects.

Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation (private foundation)

Applicants must be not-for-profit organizations located in the Southeastern United States. The foundation supports:

• grassroots groups and networks in low-wealth communities that are poised to expand their scale of impact
• statewide or regional organizations and networks that are achieving large-scale impact
• both new approaches and proven strategies that link together grassroots and larger organizations.

Competitive applicants will have clear, promising strategies for moving people and places out of poverty, including systems or policy change at the local, state or regional level. All applicants must have meaningful connections with low-wealth people and communities.

The purpose of this program is to foster interdisciplinary studies to improve our understanding of the interactions between the economic and environmental components important to the long-term viability, competitiveness and efficiency of small and medium-sized farms (including social, biological and other components, if necessary). Grants for this program will not exceed $500,000.

Individuals from communities and organizations across America are asked to submit a written essay describing how the grant would help improve their community project. Applicants can request a one-time award of between $500 and $15,000 during any single month. All requests must be sponsored by a municipal or civic organization or public school. Examples of possible community projects include: computers for the local library, clean-up projects and training for volunteer firefighters. Funds will be awarded based on the merit of the project, including its impact on and support within the community.

Online, visit http://www.myhometownhelper.com/