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USDA SARE is the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program, a competitive grant program that funds research and education projects advancing sustainable agricultural practices in the United States. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), but you do not apply to one national office: grants are run by four regional offices, and the rules, deadlines and grant types you will see depend on the region you apply through. Details here are as described on the official SARE pages on 2026-10-29.
What it is and who runs it
SARE describes itself as a program that offers competitive grants for research and education projects. National SARE operates under a cooperative agreement with the University of Maryland (award no. 2025-38640-45393), supported by USDA NIFA. A cooperative agreement is an award type in which the federal agency is substantially involved, which fits a program that shares one identity across a national office and four regions.
The practical structure is the part most summaries skip. Grants are administered by SARE’s four regional offices: North Central, Northeast, South and West. Each region is hosted by a land grant institution and guided by a volunteer Administrative Council made up of farmers and ranchers alongside university, government, agribusiness and nonprofit representatives. Volunteer technical reviewers help evaluate proposals. So “applying to SARE” really means choosing your region first and then reading that region’s grant pages.
Eligibility
As described on the national SARE grants page, applicants include farmers and ranchers, researchers, extension agents and other educators, and graduate students. Two boundaries are stated explicitly:
- Grants are available for projects within the United States and U.S. protectorates only.
- Grants are for research and education, not for starting a farm. SARE points to USDA’s Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coordinators for help with starting or growing a farm.
Region matters for eligibility too: the North Central region, for example, invites people who live in the North Central region to apply for its grants. Check your own region’s page for its specific rules rather than assuming the same ones apply.
What it funds or requires
SARE funds projects that advance sustainable agriculture through research and education. National SARE lists topical examples such as local and regional food systems, and tells applicants to consult their region and the database of funded project reports to judge whether an idea fits.
On costs, the national page says a small percentage of funding may be used to buy materials required to conduct a research or education project, but SARE funding generally cannot be used for large purchases of land, equipment or capital investment, and applicants should contact their region for specific rules. If you are building a budget, read that alongside the general concept of an unallowable cost and confirm each line with the region before you submit. The national page does not publish award amounts or deadlines; those sit with each region.
Application or compliance steps
- Pick your region. Use the regional pages linked from sare.org/grants to see which grant type fits you.
- Read that region’s call. Each region lists its grant types, who may apply and how to submit. Reading it the way you would read any federal notice of funding opportunity (eligibility, allowable costs, review criteria) saves rework.
- Check funded projects. National SARE offers a searchable database of funded projects at projects.sare.org/search-projects, useful for seeing how similar ideas were framed.
- Submit, and later report. Funded grants are managed through projects.sare.org, and SARE runs a project report submission page at sare.org/grants/submit-a-project-report.
In the North Central region, the Research and Education grant is two-stage: applicants submit a preproposal first, and full proposals are invited afterward. Other regions may structure their competitions differently.
Typical timeline phases
Using the North Central region as a worked example (its page states that timelines are subject to change, so treat them as a pattern rather than a schedule), each competition moves through the same phases: a call for proposals, a due date, a funding decision, and the release of funds. In the Research and Education grant there is an extra step in the middle, an invitation to submit a full proposal after preproposals are reviewed.
Review works through committees. As described by NCR-SARE, review committees recommend funding to the Administrative Council, and considerations include how well the problem is presented, its relevance to sustainable agriculture in the region and alignment with the region’s goals. The takeaway is that a strong proposal is judged against the region’s own goals, not a single national rubric.
Across the six North Central grant types, calls open in autumn or late winter, decisions arrive from late winter through summer, and funds follow a few months later. Always confirm the current dates on your region’s page before planning a start date.
Common mistakes
- Treating SARE as one national competition. The national page sends you to your region for instructions, so read the region’s rules and not a neighbour’s.
- Budgeting for startup or capital costs. SARE states grants are not meant to defray the costs of starting a farm, and large land, equipment or capital purchases are generally not allowed.
- Proposing work outside the U.S. or its protectorates. SARE states this is not allowed.
- Skipping the stage structure. Where a grant is two-stage, as North Central’s Research and Education grant is, the preproposal is what earns the invitation to write a full proposal.
Related programs
The North Central region offers six programs, listed on its grants page. They are a useful map of how one SARE region splits its competition by applicant type:
| NCR-SARE program | Pattern on the official page |
|---|---|
| Farmer Rancher | Call in autumn, decisions in late winter, funds in late spring or early summer |
| Research and Education | Two-stage: preproposals, then full proposals by invitation |
| Partnership | Call in autumn, decisions in early spring, funds in late spring |
| Youth Educator | Call in autumn, decisions in spring, funds in summer |
| Graduate Student | Call in late winter, decisions in summer, funds in autumn |
| Professional Development | Call in late winter, decisions in summer, funds in autumn |
The other three regions publish their own grant types on their own pages. For other USDA NIFA funding, see our guides to USDA NIFA AFRI program areas and the AFRI project narrative, and for the field itself, What Is Agricultural Science?
FAQ
What does SARE stand for?
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. It is a USDA NIFA-funded grant program administered through four regional offices.
Can SARE grants be used to start a farm?
No. SARE states its grants are for research and education only, not to defray the costs of starting a farm.
Can SARE fund a project outside the United States?
No. Grants may only fund projects within the United States and its island protectorates.
Who can apply?
The national page lists farmers and ranchers, researchers, extension agents and other educators, and graduate students. Individual regions set their own program rules.
How much can I request?
The national page gives no award amounts. Read your region’s grant page for its limits.
Sources
- National SARE, Grants: https://www.sare.org/grants/, checked 2026-10-29.
- North Central SARE, Grants: https://northcentral.sare.org/grants, checked 2026-10-29 (region-specific).
- SARE’s Four Regions: https://www.sare.org/about/sares-four-regions/, checked 2026-10-29.
