The Graduate Student Research and Education grant program involves full-time graduate students enrolled in an accredited university of Western U.S., their academic advisor and at least one producer implementing projects to address identified needs in sustainable agriculture.
Donor Name: Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/04/2024
Project funding limit: $30,000
Project time limit: three (3) years
Funding decisions announced: March 2025Details:
Projects must integrate rigorous research and education aiming to advance the three components of sustainable agriculture- environmental, economic, and social. It is expected that outcomes of funded projects will result in quantifiable benefits for producers, increase the preservation of the natural and social resources upon which agriculture relies, and be documented in scholarly journals and disseminated throughout educational outreach activities.
Graduate Student projects require a team of at least three (3) people, including a Graduate Student (Applicant), a Researcher (Principal Investigator, typically the applicant’s major advisor), and at least one (1) Producer.

Graduate Student: Students must be enrolled full-time in a graduate degree program in an accredited university or college in the Western U.S. at the starting time of the project and may receive only one Western SARE Graduate Student Grant award during their graduate studies.
Principal Investigator (PI): A researcher that usually serves as the graduate student major advisor. The PI is responsible for carrying out its contractual provisions, all project’s expenditures, and for achieving the stated research and education objectives.
Producer: A person qualifies as a Producer (farmer/rancher) if they have a for-profit operation and:

Their primary occupation is farming or ranching and have a farm/ranch taxpayer identification number (TIN); or
They are a part-time producer with at least $1,000 documented annual income or equivalent from farming or ranching activities.

Funding Information
Western SARE Graduate Student Grants provide a maximum of $30,000 (including Indirect Costs) for up to three years. Because universities typically do not allow students to manage institutional grant awards, the student’s major professor/advisor will be the Principal Investigator (PI) and the graduate student the applicant. For successful proposals, the PI’s institution (entity) will enter into a cost-reimbursable subaward agreement with Montana State University. The awarded entity is responsible for incurring approved project-related costs and regularly billing Western SARE / MSU to be reimbursed.
Project Period
Projects cannot exceed three (3) years (36 months). Please choose a start date that corresponds with the first of the month. Start dates must be no earlier than April 1, 2025, and no later than October 1, 2025.
Geographical Areas 
The Western region includes: Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Micronesia, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.
For more information, visit Western SARE.