Youth Pathways Grant for Careers in Agriculture

The Youth Pathways Grant for Careers in Agriculture, offered by the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation, aims to empower young individuals to explore agricultural careers. With Ohio's agriculture sector projected to require 470,000 new workers in agribusiness and 90,000 in direct farming in the next decade, this grant supports innovative programming that fosters partnerships between organizations. Grants of up to $75,000 will help sustain programs that prepare students for future roles in this vital industry.

NOTE: All grant applicants must participate in a pre-submission pitch session. Registration for the session must be completed by the pre-proposal deadline listed above.
Ohio’s food and agriculture industry accounts for $107.9 billion of direct economic output, 18% of the state’s economy and over 778,000 jobs (1 in 8) statewide.

• 470,000 new workers in agribusiness.90,000 new workers in direct farming operations.

Where will this workforce come from?
There are two tiers of grant awards:
Youth Pathways Program Growth Grant (up to $25,000) – At this level, preference is given to organizations that are amplifying their work and working to build out their program.Youth Pathways Program Sustainability Grant (up to $75,000) – At this level, proposals must be focused on growing an already existing, successful program with emphasis on their sustainability plan. *Recipients of this grant level may not apply again within a three-year period.
All Youth Pathway Grant applicants are required to partner with one or more county Farm Bureaus and one or more regional K-12 pipeline entities, including but not limited to, regional Education Services Centers (ESC), Career Technical Centers (CTC) and school districts. County Farm Bureaus who were previously awarded a Workforce Development & Ag Literacy Grant are eligible to receive a Youth Pathways Grant. Applicants are encouraged to apply for the appropriate grant level that can ensure growth in their program and sustainability in the future.

Eligibility

Grants are typically made only to nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code, or who have a fiscal sponsor with this status. Under certain circumstances, applications from organizations that do not meet this criteria, but are providing a charitable program, may be considered.