North Central SARE Youth Educator Grant

Youth Educator Grant projects provide opportunities for youth educators in the North Central Region to develop innovative new ways to engage youth in learning about sustainable agriculture and share what they learn with their fellow educators. Educators' approaches encourage young people to try sustainable practices and see sustainable agriculture as a viable career option. 

There are many high-quality sustainable agriculture education programs already happening in the North Central region – far more than this grant program can fund. The Youth Educator program aims to fuel and share progress within sustainable agriculture education. 

 Outreach to other Youth Educators is an important part of this grant. When grantees share what they have learned through their projects, they help create a ripple effect that encourages their peers. This outreach can be simple yet powerful, helping other educators feel more equipped to teach about sustainable agriculture.

• Youth Educator Grants are competitive grants for educators to develop and implement innovative programming on sustainable agriculture for youth. 

• Youth Educator grants can be up to $6,000.

• The Youth Educator program aims to fuel and share innovation within sustainable agriculture education. This grant funds efforts that are innovative in terms of the lessons, methods, or approaches you are using. If you are trialing, scaling, or improving – and you think other educators need solutions like yours – we want to hear your ideas.

• Projects may last up to 23 months.

• About 18 projects are funded each year. In 2025, NCR-SARE received 59 proposals and selected 19 proposals for funding.

• A sample of the call for proposals is available throughout the year, but you should always consult the current call for proposals when applying.

• The annual portfolio of youth educator grant proposals is reviewed and awarded on the annual timeline.

• Scroll down to view a PowerPoint presentation about completing a proposal for NCR-SARE's Youth Educator grant program.

• Take a look at grants that have been previously funded.

• Review the projects funded in the last grant cycle.

• This NCR-SARE Grant How-To Video Series aims to help more people feel equipped to apply for a SARE grant

• This eligibility quiz will help you decide if this program is a good fit for your idea.

Funding decisions are made by NCR-SARE's regional Administrative Council after receiving feedback from a review committee. The Administrative Council is a collection of farmers, ranchers, university representatives, nonprofit representatives, Extension and NRCS people, other government employees, and agribusiness representatives. This group sets research priorities and recommends projects for funding.

NCR-SARE can provide grant applications, reports from other projects, lists of funded projects, or other sustainable agriculture information.

Before writing a grant proposal, determine a clear project goal and explore previous research. It often helps to contact NCR-SARE, local agriculture groups, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and/or Extension educators to share ideas and invite participation.

This eligibility quiz will help you decide if this program is a good fit for your idea.

Project Length and Reporting

If funded, you have up to 23 months to complete your project.

Online Call for Proposal

PDF Call for Proposal (PDF)

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