The UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program is currently accepting proposals for our 2025-2026 Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Small Grants Program. The program funds research, education and outreach, and planning projects that support the development of sustainable farming and food systems.

Program Priority Areas

We are interested in projects that build the capacity of farming and food systems businesses and organizations to become reflective, adaptive learning organizations that can respond effectively to ecological, economic, and social change and disruption.

UC SAREP will fund projects that fall within two priority areas:

Priority Area 1:  Support California’s farmers, ranchers, and Tribal and non-Tribal land stewards of all scales in piloting, evaluating, 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, implementing, and evaluating 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.

Who May Apply

Eligible applicants include: 

• farm or food system businesses operating in California (business applicants must demonstrate benefit beyond the immediate recipients),
• non-profit, tax-exempt organizations operating in California 
• state and local government agencies, Tribal governments, and 
• California public and private institutions of higher education.

Funding Availability & Proposal Categories

Individual grants will be limited to a maximum of $10,000, with one Applied Research Grant awarded up to $20,000. Proposals are requested for three types of projects: 

• Planning Grants
• Education and Outreach Grants
• Applied Research Grants

Additional Information

To see previously funded projects, visit UC SAREP Grants Program

If you have questions, contact Kristen Farrar at kfarrar@ucanr.edu

For more information and to apply, visit UC SAREP Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Small Grants Program 2025-2026