Organic Farming and Agriculture Grants

About

Welcome to the Clif Family Foundation, an organization we started in 2006 to support small-to-midsize grassroots groups led by people whose vision and commitment we deeply admire. We have been proud to support hundreds of organizations that are working tirelessly to strengthen our food system, advance equitable community health outcomes, and protect the places we play by being stewards of our environment and natural resources. Our desire has been to leave the world a better place for our children. Now that we’re grandparents, the urgency to build a healthier, just, and sustainable world is even more personal. We look forward to expanding the reach and impact of the foundation in the years to come. This includes working with more organizations to make their innovative ideas a reality and supporting a new generation of leaders. We believe we can all do more good in the world. Together. Our grants are awarded annually for general operational support as well as for specific projects.

Foundation Priorities

• Strengthen Our Food System
• Grow organic farming and other climate-friendly agriculture
• Safeguard agricultural seeds and biodiversity 
• Democratize access to fresh and nutrient-dense foods
• Connect families with local food outlets and farmers
• Create viable opportunities for the next generation of farmers
• Enhance Equitable Community Health Outcomes
• Promote clean water access
• Curtail exposure to toxic materials
• Increase access to nature and outdoor activities
• Expand pedestrian and bicycling opportunities
• Improve farmworkers’ standard of living, wages, and working conditions
• Safeguard Our Environment and Natural Resources
• Accelerate action on climate change
• Advance renewable energy and support green jobs
• Break the resource waste cycle
• Preserve watersheds, open spaces, and wild places
• Conserve water supplies for fair, long-term access

Priority is given to applicants that:

• Address two or more of our funding priorities at the same time:
• Strengthen our food system
• Enhance equitable community health outcomes
• Safeguard our environment and natural resources
• Demonstrate strong community ties.
• Operate within viable and clearly defined plans for positive change.

NOTE: We encourage applicants to contact us to discuss their potential proposal and its fit with our guidelines.

Nature-Based Climate Action Program

A program to demonstrate and promote tree planting, prairie restoration, and other nature-based solutions to climate mitigation in rural areas.

The Nature-Based Climate Action Program supports projects that use natural systems to address climate change, the threats of extreme weather and habitat loss that contributes to the extinction of vital species. Natural systems solutions – which include the preservation or restoration of critical eco-systems such as forests, prairies and wetlands – have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration by as much as 20 percent of US greenhouse gases.

The Nature-Based Climate Action Program is intended to support such direct action. If your organization is ready to take bold steps to address the climate crisis, we would like to hear from you.

Focus of Support

We seek measurable environmental impact in the form of carbon drawdown and habitat restoration. Because the science supporting carbon sequestration and storage is nascent, and because we see opportunity to enhance public understanding of the challenges, we are interested in projects that can:

• Increase community engagement and support for action to combat climate change;
• Promote broad community understanding and policy change with respect to climate change and habitat loss;
• Contribute to climate science in ways that increases the effectiveness of future land uses or action; and,
• Model action for other organizations and communities.

Examples of projects we would welcome from nonprofit organizations include (but are in no way limited to):

• Purchases of targeted land tracts for restoration or preservation of high plant diversity that may greatly increase carbon capture;
• Large scale carbon farming demonstrations using trees, prairie or wetlands that monitor drawdown and contribute to climate science;
• Projects that activate communities, stimulate media coverage, and encourage greater understanding of climate change by the public;
• Tree planting projects in small cities and towns;
• Large scale demonstrations of regenerative agriculture directed at advancing policy or supporting market-based change like the creation of a viable carbon market.

The foundation seeks to foster environmental restoration, preservation and education with emphasis on seed moneys that lead to establishing demonstration projects that link rural and urban settings.

Projects could orient toward use of resources in sustainable ways, integration of food production, technology, economics, and community development in harmonious ways with the natural world, preservation of wildlife habitat as well as the diversity of wild and domestic plants and animals, and conservation of wilderness and open space.

Of interest might be projects designed to restore and maintain biological diversity of flora and fauna or establishment of seed banks, sustainable land use, or appropriate technology for alternative energy resources.

Efforts to find space in tight urban areas, bring the countryside to the city in the form of gardens, landscaping, and space are encouraged. Likewise, efforts to provide space and alternative living to urban people in a rural area are welcome.

Funding Priorities

A particular concern is with sustaining agriculture through organic, biodynamic, permacultural and other processes, training young people to be farmers, and linking farms to communities through community supported agriculture.

Another area of need would be support for small alternative presses and periodicals that focus on issues and problems and their resolution and desire to impact broadly on society with their creativity and new ideas.

With its interest in Laguna Wilderness Press and its home base in southern California, the foundation desires to direct attention to environmental groups and concerns in Laguna Beach, especially preservation and restoration of areas under conservation in the open space known as the Laguna Greenbelt or Wilderness and including the Laguna Bluebelt; projects that expand open space in the inner greenbelt, promote community gardening, including in its schools, restore wherever possible the canyon creeks to their natural setting, and help to establish the legacy of a unique place and its traditions of village diverse planning and vision, plein air painting, and historic homes and sites. 

NOTE: An approved pre-application with an invitation to submit a full application is required for submission.

About the ACTION Program

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and the Walton Family Foundation are awarding up to approximately $1 million for projects that increase farmer and landowner adoption of conservation practices and provide a range of ecosystem benefits including water quality improvements, particularly those identified in the Edge of Field Roadmap, found here.

Projects that commit to testing key hypotheses through project implementation incorporating landowner outreach and engagement efforts to increase conservation practice adoption will be prioritized.

Example hypotheses include, but are not limited to, the following:

• If farmers had precise estimates of costs and field-level estimates of outcomes, they would be more likely to adopt.
• If we knew farmers’ specific needs and developed interventions that addressed those needs, they would be more likely to adopt.
• Novel engagement approaches, program designs, and intervention strategies can encourage landowners to adopt edge-of-field practices (e.g., financial incentives, crop insurance incentives, community working groups)
• Practice promotion is enhanced by tailoring intervention approaches to specific farm/farmer segments.
• Longitudinal research on farmer decision-making is needed to develop and test intervention strategies
• Farmers will likely adopt conservation practices when market incentives and farm-level engagement are coordinated or well-aligned.
• Using biophysical data and decision tools to target landowner/ farmer engagement increases willingness to adopt practices and environmental outcomes.

Funding

At FFAR and WFF’s discretion, we will award grants ranging from $200,000 to $500,000, for a program total of approximately USD$1 million. Additional support to expand pilot programs and further validate results is possible, contingent on funding availability. Successful projects will receive annual disbursements.

NOTE: Nonprofit organizations based in the USA are eligible to submit one online Letter of Intent (LOI) between December 1 and the deadline above. The Foundation reviews LOIs on a rolling basis. 

Conagra Brands Foundation

We believe everyone has a right to healthy and nutritious food. However, this is not the reality for many, as food insecurity exists in every county of the United States.

To make an impact and raise awareness of food insecurity, the Conagra Brands Foundation engages our employees, partners with leading local and national nonprofits, and inspires others to create a world where people have access to the food they need to reach their full potential.

Community Grants

Through our community impact grant program, the Conagra Brands Foundation continues to build upon our rich heritage of investing in the communities where Conagra Brands operates. We partner with respected community-based nonprofits that provide highly effective programs to transform people’s lives.

Focus Areas

The LOI must strategically align with our core areas of focus which include: 

• food access
• nutrition education
• cooking skills
• healthy and active lifestyles 
• select urban agricultural programs that have a clear community focus and provide entrepreneurial skills to help individuals participate in the farm to fork economy

Partnership and collaboration is essential, especially when working to impact large social issues. Therefore, we seek partnerships with highly respected nonprofit organizations with leadership teams that challenge the current status quo with innovative approaches that result in viable solutions. 

About Seeding Solutions

Launched in 2017, Seeding Solutions is our annual competitive grant program that supports bold research in any of our six Challenge Areas or builds bridges between our Challenge Areas. FFAR awards up to 10 grants ranging between $300,000 to $1 million. Grantees must provide matching funds from non-federal partners.

We support innovative projects that address challenges in food supply and agroecosystem management through novel partnerships. Such collaborations provide opportunities to engage stakeholders as integral members of the research team and increase the likelihood of a project’s application beyond its scope.

What to know when applying for Seeding Solutions

Seeding Solutions proposals should:

• Demonstrate the potential for impact within our Challenge Area priorities.
• Address pervasive challenges in food supply and agroecosystem management.
• Benefit the public by advancing science-based decision support, enhancing transparency through open platforms or supporting economic development opportunities that strengthen the food and agriculture workforce.
• Maximize potential for real-world application by developing bold partnerships with stakeholders, including private and nonprofit organizations, non-federal government agencies, research institutions and farmers.

What are the requirements to apply?

FFAR seeks projects that foster innovation with the potential for transformative impact within FFAR’s Challenge Areas. Applications that address the following will receive preference:

• Contribute to the goal of sustainable food and agriculture, defined as practices that “satisfy human food and fiber needs; enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends; make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls; sustain the economic viability of farm operation; and enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.” (Food and Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990, Public Law 101-624, Title XVI, Subtitle A, Section 1603).
• Accelerate innovation within FFAR’s Challenge Areas. For this request for applications (RFA), FFAR defines innovation as follows:
• Radical Innovation: Development of new technologies, software, algorithms, methodology, or products with the potential to transform agricultural systems.
• Applied Innovation: Application and validation of new or emerging technologies, processes or management strategies to address significant challenges in food and agriculture systems.
• Re-imagined Innovation: Adaptation of existing technologies, processes or management strategies for entirely new agricultural applications.
• Address an aspect of the following Challenge Area priorities. Additional information is available through the Challenge Area links provided. We encourage applicants to reach out to the Scientific Program Director of the appropriate Challenge Area of interest to hone ideas before submitting a pre-application (see Application Assistance below).
• Soil Health: Advanced understanding of what soil health is, how it is measured and how to manage and optimize the sustainable delivery of the ecosystem services which soils provide
• Sustainable Water Management: Interdisciplinary, model-based research related to near-surface hydrology and designed to advance precision agriculture and water management
• Next Generation Crops: Advanced breeding methods and development of biotic and abiotic stress tolerance for crops grown in organic and conventional cropping systems to increase farmer profitability and environmental resilience
• Advanced Animal Systems: Improved animal health, welfare and productivity, antibiotic stewardship and the environment through innovative partnershipp
• Urban Food Systems: Elucidation of connections between urban food systems and the urban environment, in addition to the connections between rural and urban communities to improve food and nutritional security, human health outcomes, economic opportunities and food system resiliency through transdisciplinary partnerships
• Health- Agriculture Nexus: Systems-level approaches (both technological and non-technological) aimed at reducing food and nutritional insecurity and improving human health in the United States and worldwide
• Demonstrate fully integrated partnerships with different sectors (private, non-government organizations (NGO), governments, academia and other stakeholders) such that research outcomes may be scalable and applicable to food and agriculture systems.The development of public-private partnerships is central to FFAR’s vision and core mission: Building unique partnerships to support innovative science addressing today’s food and agriculture challenges. External matching funds (i.e., contributions provided by partners outside of an applicant’s home institution) will strengthen the application’s standing. These partners may include but are not limited to private and public corporations, non-profits, foundations, commodity and trade groups, and state and local governments. Unique partnerships including organizations that may not typically work in agriculture, are strongly encouraged.
• Serve the public good by making data open and accessible to the public, creating unique economic development opportunities, or contributing to food and agriculture workforce development.

FFAR, as a part of its mission, seeks “not only brilliant minds but also fresh perspectives tackling today’s challenges in food and agriculture. We embrace diversity and promote inclusiveness in all we do, from the teams we build to the grantees we support.” FFAR also understands that the outside-the-box thinking needed to drive innovation occurs when researchers with different skillsets and experience collaborate. With that spirit of diversity and inclusiveness in mind, cross-disciplinary research teams, especially those that include disciplines not traditionally associated with food or agriculture science, to develop innovative solutions to address current agricultural challenges are strongly encouraged to apply to the Seeding Solutions program.

ASPCA Fund to End Factory Farming

This year’s funded projects will pursue new data, evidence, or narratives that can inspire consumers, companies, farmers, institutions, and/or policymakers in transitioning away from factory farming to more humane, equitable, and sustainable food production.

Research may be conducted formally or informally.

The project need not be directly related to animal welfare, provided benefits ultimately flow to animals.

Grants will generally range from $15,000 - $25,000, with a maximum individual grant amount of $50,000. The total funding amount available for this grant opportunity is $100,000. 

Projects will be considered if they contribute new research (whether formal or informal), evidence, reports, or narratives that have the potential to move farmers, consumers, lawmakers, policymakers, corporations, and/or institutional buyers from conventional animal agriculture to more humane, equitable, and sustainable alternatives including higher-welfare farming practices, pasture-based and regenerative animal agriculture, and plant-based alternatives.

We are interested in funding projects related to:

• Documenting or quantifying the prevalence of industrial animal agriculture practices that cause animal suffering, worker health or safety issues, food safety risks, damage to local economies, farmer financial instability, environmental damage, or other social harms. (e.g., intensive confinement, waste management issues, anticompetitive practices, misleading product claims)
• Unexplored or unquantified connections between higher-welfare farming practices (e.g., confinement-free, pasture-based, or otherwise animal-centered systems) and benefits to the environment, public health, local economies, worker wellbeing or business viability
• Quantifying the financial costs of factory farms on individuals, communities, and taxpayers, and strategies to increase accountability for these costs
• Unexplored strategies to assist farmers to transition from conventional animal agriculture to more humane, equitable, and sustainable alternatives, including higher-welfare farming practices, pasture-based and regenerative animal agriculture, and plant-based alternatives. 
• Public surveys, social media trials, or other research approaches to determine the best messaging to motivate and persuade key stakeholders to adopt more humane, equitable, and sustainable practices.

Got Organic?

Farmers Advocating for Organic (FAFO) began with the 2002 Farm Bill, which included an exemption for organic farmers from contributing to national promotion programs like “Got Milk?” In response, Organic Valley devised a way for farmers to pool their exemptions into an organic-focused granting fund as a way to promote and advance organic farming.

Our name says it all: Farmers Advocating for Organic. FAFO is a grant program funded entirely by annual, voluntary contributions from Organic Valley farmers. It's the largest farmer-funded grant program in the U.S. and one of the few focused solely on organic. 

The fund provides a way for Organic Valley farmers to address the long-term needs of the organic marketplace and the future of organic agriculture by supporting the development of long-term solutions. Through combining resources, Organic Valley farmers are able to invest in projects that affect the livelihoods of organic farmers across the country. 

Simply said, FAFO is organic farmers helping organic farmers.

FAFO funds projects that make a difference

Grants are awarded to research, education and advocacy projects that advance FAFO’s mission: to protect and promote the organic industry and the livelihood of organic farmers.

Within this context, FAFO is currently prioritizing projects that focus on:

• Projects that benefit family farmers who produce organic dairy, eggs, meat, produce, and grain/forage 
• Projects that focus on organic soil health and biology
• Projects that strengthen CROPP Cooperative (internal)

Thornton ("Tawny") S. Glide, Jr. and his wife, Katrina ("Scatter") Dangberg Glide, were long-time residents of the T.S. Glide Ranch in Yolo County, California. They owned and operated farms and ranches in and about Northern California. Their interests were horses and other animals, farming, preserving open spaces, and civic endeavors. 

Upon their respective deaths in July 1995, they established the Thornton S. Glide, Jr. and Katrina D. Glide Foundation, a perpetual California charitable trust. Its purpose is to provide benefits for qualified organizations committed to animal protection organizations, other land and wildlife conservancy groups, agricultural purposes, preservation of land in its natural state, and opera, symphony, and other similar civic organizations.