Northeast SARE Graduate Student Research Grant Program

Northeast SARE’s Graduate Student Research Grant Program supports graduate student research focused on sustainable agriculture using either or both natural and social science approaches.

Proposals should address issues of current or potential importance to Northeast farmers and the agricultural/food system community. Topics of interest span the full range of sustainable agriculture issues including, but not limited to, cropping systems, pest management, livestock health, social sustainability, soil quality, farm energy production, farmworkers and agricultural labor, urban agriculture, and the marketing of local food.

Projects must explore one or more of the sustainable agriculture themes of good stewardship, profitability, and quality of life for farmers and the agricultural community. We specifically seek projects that are both consistent with our outcome statement and address the program’s review criteria.

The grant program is open to any graduate student enrolled at an accredited college, university or veterinary school in the Northeast region, including those located in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Northeast SARE encourages projects submitted from or in collaboration with Minority Serving Institutions (including 1890s and other historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions and tribal colleges and universities) and other organizations in the Northeast region that work with socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.

Because universities typically do not allow students to manage institutional grant awards, the student applicant’s faculty advisor will be named the principal investigator of the awarded grant. The faculty advisor must endorse the proposal and act as the official principal investigator; therefore, they must ensure the project and budgeted expenditures proposed are acceptable.

To apply, you must make an account with SARE (here) and apply through projects.sare.org

Northeast SARE accepts applications once per year. Proposals are typically due in early May and projects usually start in early August. Interested students should read the detailed instructions on the website, prepare applications offline well in advance of the deadline, obtain necessary institutional signatures, and submit applications online. Proposals are reviewed by panels of farmers, researchers, Extension educators, nonprofit staff, and other agricultural professionals. Since reviewers have broad agricultural expertise but may not have a deep understanding of particular subject areas addressed, it is strongly recommended that applications use clear and straightforward language, avoiding jargon and acronyms.

• 2022 Call for Proposals

• Graduate Student Grant Summary

• Tips for Writing a Strong Proposal