Northeast Region Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program
Call for Preproposals
Research & Education and Professional Development Grants
for the 2009 grant funding cycle
Submit on or before May 31, 2008

Northeast SARE reviews preproposals to see if the performance target, design, budget, and overall thrust of the project are consistent with the Northeast SARE outcome statement. Preproposals are required for Research and Education grants and for Professional Development grants from Northeast SARE. Applicants will be notified in August of 2008 if they have been selected to develop a full proposal.

Before submitting a preproposal, you should become familiar with the Northeast SARE outcome statement and read the Guide for Applicants (this requires Adobe Acrobat Reader which you can download free here). You may also want to visit the national SARE data base and see what kinds of projects have been funded in the past and to understand the difference between the Research and Education program and the Professional Development program.

Do not use this template to submit a preproposal for Agroecosystems Research. Instead, click here.

A preproposal is brief, and is submitted on line using this template. This system does not send you a copy, so draft your text in a word processor, save your copy, and cut and paste to the template. You must observe the word limitations. Check word counts before pasting to the three text windows: performance target (150 words), narrative (300 words), and budget description (50 words). Excess text will be discarded.

Crafting a high quality narrative is especially important. No words should be wasted given the limited space allowed. Keep in mind the following criteria that reviewers will use to judge your preproposal:

• the performance target contributes to the Northeast SARE outcome statement
• the performance target is specific, measurable, and meaningful
• justification of the need for the change described in the performance target is provided
• the target is sufficiently ambitious for the funds requested
• the target audience is appropriate to this grant program
• the approach is clear, logical, and feasible
• the cooperators suit the project and its objectives
• SARE is the appropriate source of funds for the project

First, fill out the basic information we need to identify you, your project, and the type of grant you are applying for.

1. Project Title

2. Project Type

Research & Education
Professional Development

3. Project Coordinator

First Name:
Last Name:
Address1:
Address2:
City:
State:
Zip:
Phone:		Ext:
E-Mail:
Organization:

4. Projected Request

What is the amount of your anticipated SARE request? (please enter a whole number, for example 50000 - do not use $, comma or decimal)

5. Other Funds

What funds do you expect to contribute and receive from other sources? (please enter a whole number - do not use $, comma or decimal)

6. Other Organizations
What other organizations will contribute time or money to the project?

7. Duration
What is your projected project duration? Allow sufficient time to complete evaluation and verification of targets.

1 year
2 years
3 years
4 years

8. Previous Proposal
Did you submit this project as a full proposal in a previous year?

yes
no

9. Project Leader Description
Please provide a brief description (no more than 50 words) of the project coordinator's background and experience relevant to this preproposal.

10. Team Members
Next, list your anticipated collaborators. You do not need to know specific names or titles of potential collaborators, but a draft of your potential team is required. An acceptable entry might say “at least six growers in Orange County," or “two extension agents with experience teaching water quality." If you know specific individuals now, list them. Make sure that representatives of your project's beneficiaries are also collaborators. For a definition of “beneficiaries," see the Guide for Applicants. Please limit your response to no more than six primary team members, their organizational affiliation, and no more than a dozen words for each describing their role. Total text allowed for this section is 150 words. Excess text will be discarded.

Next, provide a project description consisting of a performance target, a brief narrative, and a budget description. This total section should not exceed 500 words.

11. Performance Target

First, state your performance target. An example of a Research and Education program performance target might be, “18 dairy farmers in the state of Maryland will use the training to assess the soil conditions on their farm and 12 will adopt at least one conservation practice." A Professional Development program performance target might be, “24 Cooperative Extension professionals will incorporate new ideas learned through integrated crop management training into educational programs or other forms of outreach for farmers or colleagues during the year following the program." Who will change, how many, and what change will occur are the basic components of a performance target. Below your performance target, describe a few milestones - these are the important intermediate steps your target audience will take as they move toward your performance target. For more about performance targets, see the Guide for Applicants. Keep your performance target to less than 150 words.

Enter your performance target here. In all, it must not exceed 150 words.

12. Narrative

Next, write a brief narrative that describes the important themes of your project. Give us an essential description of what you intend to do, emphasizing the project design points you feel are most important. You may wish to include information about the problem to be addressed, barriers to be overcome, and your solution to the problem. Say why SARE money is needed to overcome the barriers. Make your narrative less than 300 words.

Enter your completed narrative here. In all, it must not exceed 300 words.

13. Budget Description

Finally, briefly describe how the budget will be used. Is it most likely to be for things like salaries, equipment, travel, or supplies? Applicants should be aware that SARE funds cannot be used for tuition remission, indirect costs, or capital expenditures. Limit your budget description to 50 words.

Enter your budget description here. In all, it must not exceed 50 words.

Check the word limitations in the text boxes. In total, your targets, narrative, and budget description should not exceed 500 words. Excess text will be discarded.

Now, go back and check the accuracy and completeness of the information you have given before clicking the Submit Preproposal button.
A confirmation screen will appear if you have submitted your preproposal successfully.