The long hot days of summer have turned most corn fields their harvest time gold, the leaves on the trees are just starting to think about turning, the wind has a crisp cool feeling to it and school buses are rolling every morning to take kids back to school. With that all being said I have a couple of grants that related directly to youth education to pass along to you today.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program is funded through the USDA National Institute of Agriculture (NIFA). The SARE program works primarily through competitive grant programs administered the North Central Region which includes 12 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. There are currently 2 grant opportunities available focusing on Youth and Youth Education.

Youth SARE Grant- This grant is for youth, ages 8 – 18 and eligible projects include: on-farm research, demonstration, or education projects. Research and demonstration projects are for hands-on efforts to explore Sustainable Agriculture issues and practices. Education projects can involve teaching others about Sustainable Agriculture or attending a Sustainable Agriculture conference, workshop, or camp. The maximum grant award is $400 projects must be finished within one year and applications are due January 14, 2011. For more information go to http://www.sare.org/ncrsare/cfp.htm

Youth Educator SARE Grants- Grants for educators to provide programming on Sustainable Agriculture for youth with a $2,000 maximum. This grant program focuses on Sustainable Agriculture and how it relates to profitability; and the effects it has on families, communities, quality of life; and the environment long term. NCR-SARE encourages you to be creative and innovative, and to work directly with local farmers and ranchers who practice Sustainable Agriculture. Please note: 21st Century Farming does involve growing food and fiber and can include market gardens and urban agriculture. Applications are due January 14, 2011. For more information go to http://www.sare.org/ncrsare/cfp.htm

Some other grant programs that would also be of interest to schools and educators are:

National Garden Association-Youth Garden Grants Program-Home Depot and the National Gardening Association (NGA) have partnered as sponsor for the Youth Garden Grants 2011. NGA annually awards Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations with child-centered garden programs across the United States. These gardens should ber used to instruct at least one of the following initatives; educational focus or curricular/program integration, nutrition or plant-to-food connections , environmental awareness/education, entrepreneurship , social aspects of gardening such as leadership development, team building, community support, or service-learning. Eligible applicants include Schools, youth groups, community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities, and intergenerational groups throughout the United States. Applicants must plan to garden with at least 15 children between the ages of three and 18 years. Grant funds can range from $500 -$1,000 and applications are due November 1, 2010. For more information visit http://www.kidsgardening.com/YGG.asp

Target Company Field Trip Grants-Target will be awarding 5,000 grants of $700 each to schools for the upcoming school year. Teachers can use a grant to fund a school field trip that connects their curriculum to out-of-school experiences. Applications are due before September 30, 2010 and more information can be found at

"Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals and happiness." -Thomas Jefferson