for projects linking community revitalization and commercial farming. offered in partnership with...
TRANSCRIPT
For projects linking community revitalization and
commercial farming.
Offered in partnership with the Northeast Regional Center for
Rural Development
www.nesare.orgwww.nerced.psu.edu
Northeast SARE Sustainable Community Grants
Northeast SARESustainable Community Grants
Projects must:
• Have a SARE budget of $15,000 or less.
Address substantive farm issues like finance, marketing, land use, water use, enterprise development, value-added activities, and labor.
Explore new approaches to sustainable commercial agriculture.
Support improved farm profits, a better quality of life, a cleaner environment, or improved farm stewardship.
Northeast SARESustainable Community Grants
Excluded: •Food donation or food subsidy programs.•Public, student, or general awareness about agriculture.•Community gardening projects. •Projects with no clear benefit to commercial farmers.
Number of awards:•Ten to 20 each year, or about $150,000 total.•Awards are competitive, with roughly a quarter of all proposals funded.
Types of projects funded
Labor recruitment, retention, and regulations
Alternative financing and enterprise development
New marketing and labeling initiatives
Land use, zoning, and resource conservation
Processing and adding value to farm products
Marketing initiatives, research, and development
Licensing, food safety, and quality control
Who can apply?
Representatives from Cooperative Extension, the nonprofit sector, schools and universities, and from select, planning, or other governmental boards.
Applicants affiliated with state departments of agriculture, the Farm Bureau, community development corporations, or comparable agencies with experience in sustainable development.
Proposals must come from a individual within an organization who will lead the project and accept responsibility for its completion.
Funds can be used for:
Personnel costs
Project-specific materials and services
Project-specific travel, printing, and phone
Fees or rates charged by participating farmers,
advisors, or collaborators
Indirect costs of up to 10 percent for organizations
with a negotiated federal rate
Funds cannot be used for:
Capital expenses for barns, greenhouses, livestock, or
other major farm improvements
Costs of starting up a farm or the physical start-up of a
new organization
Subsidy or incentive payments
Computers, cameras, video equipment, copiers, or similar
items that have prolonged usefulness beyond the
boundaries of the project
Apparel, awards, giveaways, or prizes
Review criteria
1. Key issue: Proposal covers a topic of widespread interest2. Innovation and significance: Interesting, fresh approach3. Familiarity with related work: Builds on current
knowledge4. Clear objectives, sound methods, and measurable
results: Valid outcomes others can use5. Outreach: Multiple communication mechanisms 6. Capacity: Applicant experience in community development
7. Farmer participation: In planning or implementing the
project8. Sensible budget: Transparent use of public money
Farm ownership and succession planning
Farmland conservationFarmers’ market
managementFarm-to-cafeteriaInstitutional purchasingAgritourismFarm co-op
developmentFair trade
Processing and adding value
Land-use planningMarket research and
developmentAlternative financingNew farmer educationFoodshed developmentLegal issuesShared and
community kitchens
Past projects include--
Examples of Sustainable Community projects
Adding value to the sustainable farm
The Collaboration for the 21st Century Appalachia, West Virginia
Nine farmers added value to products with imperfections to make pumpkin syrup, blackberry syrup, vodka sauce, hot sauce, Bloody Mary mix, sweet onion and garlic jam, pickled green beans, and corn meal and polenta mixes.
Focus: High product quality, measurable economic returns, marketing, and the re-use of products that might otherwise be plowed under or discarded.
Examples of Sustainable Community projects
Mobile poultry processing on Martha’s Vineyard
Island Grown Initiative, Massachusetts
On-island poultry processing addresses a key production barrier; farmers boost production from about 200 birds a year to 3,000. The project focused on food safety, training, and state certification.
Focus: New waste composting techniques, island-based production and marketing for freshness, new relationships with regulatory agencies, and improved protocols specific to mobile poultry processing.
Examples of Sustainable Community projects
Farm transfer planning: Tools for revitalizing rural life
Land for Good, New Hampshire
The loss of farmland in the Northeast presents a serious challenge to regional food production. This project developed planning tools, workshops, and professional networks to make succession planning accessible to farm families.
Focus: A new network of attorneys, financial planners, extension staff, mediators, family communications specialists, and land-use planners, along with a topical library of how-tos and interactive worksheets for farmers.
Application tips and time line
Calls for proposals released in the summer
Proposals submitted on line in the fall
Awards announced in March
A guide, “How to Write a Sustainable Community Grant,” is on the Northeast SARE website at www.nesare.org
Read brief descriptions of past awards on the Northeast SARE website
Search full reports by topic
SARE maintains a database of project reports from all four regions.
Go to www.sare.org
Select “project reports,” then “search the database”
Select “Sustainable Community Innovations Grant”
Enter a keyword or topic area
For projects in the region, select “Northeast”
