Organic Research Grants from OFRF

OFRF Now Accepting Letters of Intent for 2021 Organic Research Grants

OFRF is excited to announce that we are now accepting Letters of Intent (LOI) for our organic research grants program. This grant cycle, in addition to continuing our support for farmer-led research, OFRF is prioritizing applications from early career researchers and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). We believe it is critical to foster the next generation of researchers and support historically underserved and marginalized communities, while also ensuring all farmers have the most up-to-date and science-based information. OFRF is reserving half of our grants for BIPOC applicants.

At OFRF, we recognize climate change is one of the most pressing challenges for farmers, ranchers, and society as a whole. Therefore, we are prioritizing research that maximizes the potential for organic agriculture to be part of the climate solution. “It is especially important that OFRF research grants continue to support projects that directly address the climate crisis and also build resilience within our farms, ranches, rural communities, and the broader food system,” said Thelma Velez, the Research and Education Program Manager at OFRF.

OFRF will fund projects for up to $20,000 for one year of research. Submissions must fall under at least one of the six research priority areas: soil health focus; weed, pest, and disease management focus; resilient cultivars focus; livestock and poultry focus; social science focus; and/or resilience focus. Project submissions may be research-based or integrated (research, education, and/or extension). Additionally, the research must take place on property or land that is certified organic, unless it falls under the social science and/or resilience focus priority area.

Primary applicants or Co-PIs must identify as a farmer, rancher, or early career researcher residing in Canada, Mexico, or the United States. Early career researchers for this grant are defined as: pre-tenure faculty, postdoctoral associates, graduate students, and/or researchers that have received their MS or PhD within the past seven years (graduation year 2014). Successful applicants will be notified in Fall 2021 and invited to submit a full proposal with funding finalized in 2022.

OFRF is committed to supporting innovative research that meets the current challenges of organic farming, and fosters the adoption and improvement of organic farming systems. Since 2006, OFRF has invested over $3M in 355 research projects to address the needs of organic growers. Techniques and findings from OFRF-funded research have been widely implemented by organic farmers and ranchers, with information disseminated online, in publications, and at farming conferences and field days. All research results are free and open source at www.ofrf.org/research/grant-awards/.

We look forward to another year of outstanding organic research grants project submissions! Thank you to the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) for the continuation of our partnership to fund on-farm research advancing the climate benefits of organic agriculture systems.

Letter of Intent and Instructions

LOI are reviewed and approved by the OFRF Board of Directors, majority of whom are certified organic farmers and ranchers. Please complete the application and submit no later than 5:00pm PST Friday August 20, 2021.