UC SAREP Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Small Grants Program

UC SAREP Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Small Grants Program

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: University of California, Davis
Amount: US $10,000 - US $20,000
Last Updated: November 11, 2025

Summary

The UC SAREP Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Small Grants Program aims to support California's farmers and communities by promoting environmentally regenerative practices and enhancing food system resilience. It offers funding for projects that benefit diverse stakeholders, including education and outreach initiatives, applied research, and planning grants, all with a focus on cultural responsiveness and social equity. Grants range from $10,000 to $20,000, targeting priority groups and fostering collaboration.

Overview

Background The UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (UC SAREP) is a statewide program of University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR). UC SAREP envisions a food and farming system that: supports resilience through diversified production, marketing, and distribution systems,values all food system workers and supports their physical, economic, and social wellbeing,contributes to the health and vitality of urban, rural, and Tribal communities,is environmentally regenerative, using resources for production and distribution in a way that protects the environment in trust for future generations, including under changing climate conditions, andis culturally responsive and reflects the ethnic, linguistic, and cultural diversity of California. Funding Priority Areas Priority Area 1:  Support California’s farmers, ranchers, and land stewards of all scales in piloting and transitioning to: environmentally regenerative approaches to producing crops and livestock (including but not limited to soil health, organic and agroecological practices, integrated pest management, crop diversification);pathways for realizing economic return from ecologically-sound crop management practices and fair labor practices;marketing and distribution strategies that support diversified, decentralized, and locally-based supply chains;strategies that promote producer-to-producer networking and/or producer-to-supply chain networking. Priority Area 2:  Support California’s rural, urban, and Tribal communities in identifying and implementing strategies to: expand access to healthy, sustainably produced, culturally appropriate foods;ensure worker wellbeing across the food chain;minimize the community and environmental costs of food production and distribution; strengthen connections between consumers and producers;establish and strengthen producer-to-producer connections and producer-to-supply chain connections. Proposal Categories Proposals are requested for three types of projects: Planning Grants Planning grants are intended to support processes that bring together diverse stakeholders to plan for larger, more complex research and outreach projects for which larger funds are being sought. Examples of previously funded Planning projects include: the creation of a new food policy council; exploring how green jobs for women farmworkers can improve their working conditions and the well-being of their communities; building a research team and developing plans for conducting a life cycle analysis of California’s beef production system; and community food access planning in East Salinas.Education and Outreach GrantsEducation and outreach grants include educational events, materials and outreach components of research projects.Examples of previously funded Education and Outreach projects include:providing legal guidance to low-income entrepreneurs interested in urban and suburban farming, home-based food businesses and cooperatively owned agricultural companies in the San Francisco Bay Area; helping Southeast Asian and other small farmers in Sacramento connect with processors and buyers; implementing a bilingual educational campaign to communicate the importance of locally and sustainably grown produce from farmers of diverse backgrounds in Napa County; and developing and documenting opportunities and success stories for ecosystem services provided by rangeland stewardship.Applied Research GrantsThese projects are intended to fund original, applied research in the above Program Priority Areas. An example of a previously funded research grant includes funding to study the effects of livestock guardian dogs on wildlife species and the potential for conflict with recreationists. Research projects should include an outreach component. Funding Availability Individual grants will be limited to a maximum of $10,000, with one Applied Research Grant awarded up to $20,000.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Eligible applicants include: farm or food system businesses operating in Californianon-profit, tax-exempt organizations operating in Californiastate and local government agencies, tribal governments, and California public and private institutions of higher education.

Ineligibility

UC SAREP staff are not eligible to participate on the team of any project.