News/Events
G2G Seed Initiative Request for Proposal
- Published on 02-21-2012 at 08:12 PM
Foundation for Agricultural and
Rural Resources Management and Sustainability (FARRMS)
and
Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society (NPSAS)
present
GRANTS TO GROW SEED INITIATIVE
Request for Proposals
FARRMS and NPSAS Farm Breeder Club are pleased to announce that grant funding is
available through a joint Grants to Grow Seed Initiative. The initiative is designed to assist
farmers working collaboratively and individually to improve and develop seedstocks of crop
varieties that perform well in their organic farming systems.
Applicant eligibility and proposal deadlines: The Grants to Grow Seed Initiative is open to
NPSAS Farm Breeder Club (FBC) farmer members residing in North Dakota. The deadline for
submission for the 2012 growing season is February17, 2012. Funding decisions will be made
by March 15, 2012.
Overview of the Farm Breeder Club and the Grants to Grow Seed Initiative: Profitable,
productive, resilient, and adaptive farming systems require continued plant breeding and ready
seed access to provide the genetic diversity necessary for healthy agricultural systems. NPSAS
set up the Farm Breeder Club in 1998 to bring farmers together to share knowledge and
seedstock for seed saving and breeding. The mission of the FBC is to assist with the evaluation
and development of crop varieties suitable to organic farming and marketing systems in the
Northern Plains. The Grants to Grow Seed Initiative seeks to foster farmer-led seed initiatives to
develop greater agricultural diversity and adaptability, providing opportunities for growth of
local and regional seed systems, and fostering market development of seed crops and cereal
products.
Administration: The Grants to Grow Seed Initiative is an adjunct program of the current
FARRMS Grants to Grow program. FARRMS administers the program; grant proposals are
reviewed and monitored by a joint panel of FARRMS and the NPSAS Farm Breeder Club.
Size of grants: Up to $10,000 per farm operation per year for individual and collaborative
projects; project timelines can range from 1-year up to 5-years. [Funding provided on a year-to-
year basis provided an annual report is filed detailing benchmarks and sufficient progress.]
Grant format: All proposals must be a maximum of seven pages in length, including the cover
page, four pages of narrative, and two budget pages. Applicants are required to use the grant
format provided. Proposals that surpass the page limit will not be considered for funding.
Address each of the sections outlined in the grant application. The successful application will
provide a clear rationale for the project and demonstrate that there is a significant need for the
seed project proposed. It is important that the objectives for your project be clear, well-
structured, and succinct. Demonstrate why your project is necessary and explain what,
specifically, you hope to accomplish including measurable outcomes.
General budget information: Seed Initiative funds can only be used for expenses directly
relating to your original seed project. General overhead and unrelated operational costs may not
be included in your budget proposal. Eligible expenses include: seed, contract nursery work,
equipment necessary to the project, cost share on buildings necessary to the project (up to 50%),
Grants to Grow Seed Initiative
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land rental, hired labor, travel (mileage reimbursed at a rate no greater than the federal rate,
currently 50ยข per mile), supplies, marketing expenses, farmer stipends, and expenses for
recording, analyzing, documenting and disseminating results, including travel to meetings and
conferences to represent the project. Ineligible expenses include: faculty salaries, farm labor not
related to research activities, other farm expenses not related to research activities, international
travel, and travel to professional meetings and conferences unrelated to the project.
For questions, clarification, or further information: Contact NPSAS FBC Grants Manager,
Theresa Podoll at (701) 883-4416 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Grant submission: Grants should be submitted to:
FARRMS - Grants to Grow
301 5th Ave SE
Medina, ND 58467
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
701.486.3569
Electronic proposal submissions are encouraged. To apply, send proposal as an attachment to an
email in .doc, .pdf, or .txt formats. FARRMS will not accept proposals submitted in the body of
an email.
Review: Proposals will be reviewed by a committee of FARRMS and NPSAS FBC
representatives.
The following criteria and point system will be used to evaluate and score seed proposals:
1. Fosters agrobiodiversity, resiliency, and sustainability of farming systems. (20 points)
2. Demonstrates a high priority crop and seed issue. (20 points)
3. Presents clear objectives and specifies measurable outcomes indicating successful
achievement of the objectives. (10 points)
4. Uses sound project methods appropriate to meeting project objectives. (15 points)
5. Proposal is well-written and clear; follows the requirements in the Request for Proposals
including page limits and font size; presents a realistic timeline for the project's activities.
(10 points)
6. Presents a well-justified and detailed budget appropriate to carrying out the project's
objectives. (10 points)
7. Presents an outreach plan describing how the results will be disseminated to the farming
community. (15 points)
If your project is funded FARRMS requires that successful applicants sign a grant contract
before initial payment of the grant award. FARRMS will retain 10% of the total grant award
until!completion of the project, timely submission of a final report by the grantee, and a
satisfactory evaluation of the project by the review committee. Evaluation involves analyzing
whether or not the original project objectives were met through the filing of the final report.