Professional Development Grants
Northeast SARE will fund a wide variety of training projects related to agricultural sustainability, and we are looking for proposals that offer a holistic view of agricultural sustainability. Our goal is to fund in-depth training where possible, and for participants to use their new knowledge in their work with farmers.
Preference will be given to preproposals that make training accessible to the entire region, which is made up of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Preproposals that provide training to individual states or sub-regions will also be considered if you provide evidence that region-wide training is not feasible. Successful projects may be eligible for a second round of grant funds to repeat the training in different parts of the region or in the same location.
Training guidelines
- Training should target extension, NRCS, and other agricultural educators. In addition, farmers should be engaged as trainers and co-learners and should be paid for their participation.
- Training should provide in-depth education that enhances the capacity of participants to deliver relevant, cutting-edge programming in one or more of the four program priority areas.
- Collaboration among multiple states and organizations is encouraged in the planning and recruiting process. In particular, representatives of the potential beneficiary groups should be involved in all aspects of planning.
- Training should involve a relatively small core group of perhaps 12 to 24 participants (or more for grants providing training throughout the region) who commit the necessary time to attend multiple training sessions for one or two years.
- Participants should be required to use their knowledge to train others, and they should be committed to incorporate the ideas learned into programming for colleagues or farmers. Proposals should include a plan for follow-up and verification of project results.
- A variety of participatory, hands-on training methods should be used. This could include some combination of classroom lectures and discussions, farm visits, online resources, videos, case studies, decision cases, distance learning, and self-study to reinforce learning experiences.
- Diversity among trainers is encouraged. Trainers may include experts from farm businesses, universities, agencies, non-profit organizations, and relevant industries.
All proposals must have a plan for verifying outcomes. Grant applicants should budget enough money—perhaps up to ten or fifteen percent of the total award, depending on the project—to cover the cost of doing this. Verification should focus on measuring new knowledge and skills and how they are being used to implement educational programs or develop new educational materials for colleagues or farmers.
About preproposals
A preproposal is a brief concept document of no more than 500 words that describes the outcomes and key elements in a project design. Preproposals are ranked by how well they further the goals in the outcome statement of Northeast SARE, which says, “Agriculture in the Northeast will be diversified and profitable, providing healthful products to its customers; it will be conducted by farmers who manage resources wisely, who are satisfied with their lifestyles, and have a positive influence on their communities and the environment.”
Only the broad outlines of a project can be described in a preproposal. The challenge is to convey the key elements of a holistic project design. Your preproposal should clearly state the project's performance target (150 words), which should indicate the priority area or areas of the training and the desired outcomes. A brief narrative (300 words) should follow, addressing the content to be offered, the locations, the delivery plan, and how you will assess whether the desired outcomes have been achieved. You should also include a description of the project budget explaining how the funds will be used (50 words).
The preproposal process is competitive, and only applicants whose preproposal is approved will be asked to submit a full proposal. For more about how preproposals are developed, see our Guide for Applicants. A print version of this document is available on request; call 802/656-0471 for a copy.
Preproposals are submitted using an online template.
Full proposals
The Professional Development full proposal is available as a PDF file. Do not attempt to use these materials unless you have submitted a preproposal and have been told to proceed to a full one.
Size of awards
We anticipate funding proposals ranging from about $60,000 to $200,00. Last year, Northeast SARE awarded about $430,000 for four Professional Development grants.
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