Professional Development Grant

The Professional Development Program Grant offered by the North Central Region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) initiative is a competitive funding opportunity aimed at enhancing the skills and knowledge of agricultural educators across twelve Midwestern states. NCR-SARE is part of a nationwide program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), hosted regionally by the University of Minnesota. The program’s mission is to support initiatives that improve agricultural profitability, promote environmental stewardship, and enhance quality of life through research and education in sustainable agriculture. NCR-SARE’s Professional Development Program (PDP) specifically targets educators from Extension services, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), nonprofits, and other sectors involved in supporting farmers and ranchers. The primary goal of the PDP grant is to equip agricultural educators with a strong foundation in long-term agricultural sustainability principles, thereby enabling them to create and deliver impactful programming in partnership with producers. Projects funded through this program are expected to deliver professional development using participatory and experiential methods. Applicants are encouraged to include cross-agency collaboration and utilize farmers and ranchers as key contributors and educators in their projects. These projects may take the form of field days, curriculum development, workshops, and peer-to-peer education that foster knowledge exchange and address emergent needs in the agricultural community. Each funded project may request up to $120,000 in total funding and must be completed within 36 months. Eligible expenses include personnel, supplies, educational materials, equipment (under $5,000 per item), travel, outreach, and indirect institutional costs up to 10%. Examples of allowable expenses range from farmer compensation to local and out-of-town travel, educational material production, and event support. However, expenses such as construction, large equipment purchases, and unrelated capital improvements are not allowed. Applicants are required to provide detailed justification for all budget items, and each proposed expense must clearly support the project’s development goals. The application process requires submission through the online portal at projects.sare.org. The 2026 application deadline is April 2, 2026, before 12:00 PM Central Time. No pre-proposal or letter of intent is required. Applications must include a narrative responding to several defined sections (e.g., background, inputs, activities, timeline, outputs, outcomes, evaluation, key personnel), along with resumes for key personnel, a signed application signoff sheet, letters of commitment from collaborators receiving funding, and a detailed budget narrative. Applications exceeding length limits or missing key attachments may be disqualified. All proposals are reviewed by a committee comprised of NCR-SARE’s Administrative Council and other representatives, including farmers, university faculty, government agency staff, and nonprofit professionals. This committee evaluates proposals based on background and justification, activities and outputs, evaluation design, team qualifications, and budget alignment. Final funding decisions are made by the Administrative Council with USDA approval expected by July 2026. Award notifications are anticipated by early August 2026, with funds available by October 1, 2026, pending USDA clearance. NCR-SARE strongly encourages engagement with state SARE Coordinators to strengthen applications. These coordinators can assist in identifying local needs, forming partnerships, and reviewing prior funded work. The grant operates on an annual cycle, and the next anticipated round will open in early 2027. Support is available from Dr. Rob Myers and Andy Larson for questions related to the PDP program, and applicants are urged to consult the 2026 Call for Proposals document directly for comprehensive instructions and compliance requirements.

Contact State Coordinators for insight; proposals must align with SARE goals and be experiential; farmer involvement is encouraged.