Northeast SARE Farming Community Grant Program

Northeast SARE Farming Community Grant Program is a grant from Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) that funds social science research and education projects that strengthen farming and food systems at the community level in the Northeast United States.

Projects must be grounded in community partnerships and informed by the lived experiences of farmers, encouraging collaboration among farmers, service providers, researchers, and nonprofit organizations. Awards range from $15,000 to $30,000. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, farm organizations, and community groups operating in the Northeast region.

The program prioritizes innovative approaches to improving agricultural community health and sustainability that are scalable across the region. Applications for the current cycle were due February 23, 2026.

Farming Community Grant Program - SARE Northeast NE Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Innovations–Northeast SARE’s Newsletter Farming Community Grant Program Partnership Grant Program Research and Education Grant Program Professional Development Grant Program Graduate Student Research Grant Program Research for Novel Approaches in Sustainable Agriculture Grant Program SARE Outreach Publications Home » Grants » Farming Community Grant Program Farming Community Grant Program The Northeast SARE Farming Community Grant applies social science research and education projects that strengthen farming and food systems at the community level.

These projects explore innovative approaches to improving the health and sustainability of agricultural communities in the Northeast. This program supports projects that are grounded in community partnerships and informed by the lived experiences of farmers.

It encourages collaboration among farmers, service providers, researchers, and nonprofit organizations to co-create solutions that are responsive to local needs and scalable across the region. Question and Answer Sessions Northeast SARE staff concluded their Q&A sessions on the four large grant programs: Farming Community, Professional Development, Research & Education, and Research for Novel Approaches.

Here is a copy of the presentation shared. You can view the session recordings at the links below: We've compiled questions from all rooms into a running FAQ document. This FAQ is a live resource that includes information from the introductory session and each breakout discussion.

You can use Ctrl+F to search by keyword and browse tagged topics. For additional questions, please reach out to the Grant Administrator to the program you are interested in applying to, or northeast-large-grant@sare. org if you are still unsure.

Please do your best having reviewed the CFP and Appendices in their entirety before reaching out with questions, many things are answered there! Grant Administrators are seeing a high volume of inquiries, so please be patient with a response time as it may take several days. Northeast SARE’s Administrative Council allocated approximately $3,300,000 to fund projects for this cycle of farming community grants.

There is no cap on total grant requests, however, requests typically fall between $50,000 and $250,000. Technical Assistance Program Applicants and grantees of the Farming Community Grant Program are eligible for Technical Assistance (TA) provided by Northeast SARE’s Technical Assistance Providers. Request Technical Assistance Farming Community Grant Program Materials The Call for Proposals is now open.

A completed budget using this template is part of the application process. Budget Template will auto-download when clicked. A completed Grant Commitment Form is required as part of the application process.

Form will auto-download when clicked Rubric for Farming Community Grant Program Proposals Farming Community Grant Call Open The Call for 2026 Farming Community Grant proposals is now open. Proposals are due by 5 p. m.

on February 23, 2026. 2026 Farming Community Grant Proposals - Due 5 p. m.

EST, February 23, 2026 Which grant program is the best fit for my project? to take a quick side-by-side look at our grant programs. Resource for Writing Citations An Educator's Guide to Best Practices for Adult Learning Organizational Definitions All Northeast SARE grants must fit within one or more of SARE's Legislative Priorities that encourage research to increase knowledge concerning agricultural production.

These priorities include: ● maintaining and enhancing the quality and productivity of the soil; ● conserving soil, water, energy, natural resources, and fish and wildlife habitat; ● maintaining and enhancing the quality of surface and ground water; ● protecting the health and safety of persons involved in the food and farm system; ● promoting the well-being of animals; and ● Increasing employment opportunities in agriculture.

Projects having a significant impact/impression on farmer's and farming communities is also critical. Impact can be economic, social, environmental etc. For example: How does the research support farmer/farming community livelihoods? How does the research build strong economies through local and/or regional trade?

How does the research improve crop production? For impact, replicability is important. Replicability is the ability of another farmer or farming community to obtain similar results when applying the same method (s).

In other words, another farmer can utilize the results of the research to benefit their farming practices of behavior. "Northeast agricultural communities honor the holistic connection among land, water, air, and all living beings. Agriculture in the Northeast is sustainable so that all farmers and farm employees can steward resources to ensure sustainability, resilience, economic viability, and a high quality of life."

Innovation is defined as the development or adoption of new concepts or ideas and the successful exploration of new ideas. Ideation is the basis of creativity. The process of creative ideation develops new concepts; Innovation applies them.

Creativity can only emerge when an innovator takes the idea and puts it into practice. Innovation can also be social and develop and implement novel and effective solutions to meet social and environmental challenges. The results should improve the welfare and well being of individual farmers and farming communities and reproducible.

Within the scope of Northeast SARE, examples can include, but are not limited to: ● The introduction of a new behavior/practice, one with which farmers are not yet familiar ● The introduction of an improved or better agricultural behavior/practice, which may not be new, but is an improvement upon what occurred before. ● The opening of a new market that has not been entered previously, whether this market has existed previously.

● A new source of supply of materials or goods, again irrespective of whether this source already exists or whether it has first to be created. ● Improved organizational structure and/or capacity.

Northeast SARE encourages innovative solutions to challenges in farming and food systems in the Northeast USA, including but not limited to the areas of: Economic and social sustainability Projects related to climate and/or bioenergy work that provide direct or indirect benefits to farmers and ranchers Northeast SARE does not support: Educational programs for the general public General public awareness campaigns about agriculture and nutrition Community or school gardening initiatives Contact northeast-fc@sare.

org with any additional questions. SARE Projects Application and Reporting 140 Kennedy Drive, Suite 202 South Burlington, VT 05403 US Department of Agriculture This work is supported by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program under a cooperative agreement with the University of Maryland , project award no. 2024-38640-42986, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture .

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy. Northeast SARE is hosted by the University of Vermont . © 2026 Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education