Applying for Research Grants

Posted March 16, 2009

The Organic Farming Research Foundation grants program is open to all applicants residing in Canada, Mexico and the United States. OFRF particularly encourages farmers, ranchers, researchers, and extension personnel to consider applying for funding. Farmers and ranchers often find that working with professional researchers can make it easier to design and carry out a research project, and OFRF encourages applications from such partnerships.

Proposals are considered twice a year. The deadlines and notification dates for the next two granting cycles are:

Proposal due date	Applicants will be notified by
May 15, 2009 November 16, 2009	December 1, 2009 April 1, 2010

Overview of the Research Grants Program
The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) funds research on organic farming and food systems and the dissemination of these research results to the greater agricultural community. Proposals must involve farmers or ranchers in project design and implementation and take place on working organic farms or ranches whenever possible. Additionally, proposals should articulate how the proposed research project will foster the improvement or adoption of organic farming systems. OFRF will only fund projects in North America (Canada, the United States, and Mexico). Project proposals are reviewed and awarded by the OFRF Board of Directors, the majority of whom are certified organic producers.

Funding levels
OFRF requests proposals which have objectives that are realistically achievable with a modest level of funding. The average research grant awarded in OFRF's last funding cycle was $12,232 for non-fruit projects and $17,184 for fruit projects. OFRF will not fund a project for more than $15,000 per year except for fruit grants, for which the maximum grant size is $20,000 per year. Matching funds from other sources and/or in-kind contributions from cooperators are encouraged but not required.

Multi-year projects
OFRF acknowledges the importance of conducting long-term research to verify experimental results. OFRF will consider funding multi-year projects, but can only commit to funding one year of a multi-year project at a time. Submission of an interim report and new proposal is required for OFRF to consider continued funding in subsequent years. An exception may be made for fruit research projects, which are eligible for automatic extension over a period of years contingent upon availability of funds and submission of a satisfactory interim report for each year.

Topics
This request for proposals is open to any agricultural production, social, economic, or policy-related topic of concern to organic farmers and/or ranchers. OFRF supports research that is relevant to and takes place in certified organic systems. OFRF does not normally fund studies that compare conventional with organic systems as a primary objective.

Thanks to a partnership with industry, OFRF has special funding available for organic fruit research.

Additionally, OFRF has identified the following as areas of particular interest:

Organic livestock systems;
Economic constraints and opportunities relevant to the viability of small- and medium-scale organic farms and ranches;
Projects that investigate the interactions between components of organic systems and that take a systems-management (rather than an input-substitution) approach to solving production problems.

Proposals submitted in any topic area will be given the same consideration in the evaluation process, but by articulating these priorities the Board hopes to receive a larger number of proposals in these subject areas.

Organic certification of research sites
Preference is given to research done on certified organic land.

Proposal requirements

In order to fairly evaluate an increasing volume of grant proposals, OFRF must enforce the following requirements. Proposals that surpass the page limit or otherwise do not meet these requirements will not be considered for funding.

The primary audience for your proposal is a hardworking group of volunteer board members who bring a wide range of expertise to the evaluation. They process dozens of proposals per cycle and appreciate proposals that are brief and to the point.

Number the pages of your proposal and limit it to no more than 9 pages. OFRF requires that 12-point font be used for all text in the proposal. Begin your proposal with a ½-page abstract of the project and then address each of the 10 points outlined below under Proposal Content Guidelines. The successful application will provide a clear rationale for the project and demonstrate that there is a significant need for the research project proposed. It is important that the objectives for your project be clear, well-structured, and succinct. Demonstrate why your project is necessary, present measurable outcomes, and explain what, specifically, you hope to accomplish. Appendices (in addition to the 9-page maximum) may be used only for literature citations, a one- to two-page curricula vitae for major participants, and letters of support for the project.

General budget information
OFRF funds can only be used for expenses directly relating to your original research project; general overhead and operational costs may not be included in your budget proposal.

OFRF generally will provide funding for:

List the name, phone number, address, and electronic contact information for all the researchers and farmer/rancher collaborators involved in the project. Make sure to identify the primary investigator for the project and the project title. State total amount of funding requested from OFRF. (Provide full budget with details later in proposal. See question 10.)
What are the specific objectives of this project? For each objective, present a measurable outcome that will indicate successful achievement of it. Describe how the project will foster the improvement and/or widespread adoption of organic farming systems.
What is the issue that you are addressing, and why is it important to organic producers? Detail how farmers/ranchers have been involved in determining the focus of the project and in its planning. How will they be involved throughout the project?
What steps have you taken to determine that the project you're planning has not already been done? What organic farmers and/or ranchers have you consulted on the topic? OFRF requires that you conduct a literature search on the subject matter and present your findings in the proposal.
What is your methodology for this project? Include details of the actual mechanics of your project, including experimental design, treatments, materials, measurements, etc. How have farmer/rancher collaborators been involved in developing the methodology of the experiment? How will they be involved in the experiment's implementation?
Organic certification. Describe the organic certification status of the research area and list the certifier. If an area is not certified organic, please explain why.
What is your plan for delivering the information from the project to farmers/ranchers or other end users? Each project MUST have a plan for dissemination of information, e.g. field day, article, publication, video, etc. If you will be developing a publication or video, describe how it will be distributed.
Provide a timeline or calendar of important milestones. If submitting a proposal for a multi-year project, please provide a year-by-year breakdown of the project timeline.
What are your qualifications to do this work? What previous experience do you have in conducting organic systems research? Include the qualifications of any researchers or producers with whom you are collaborating.
What is your project budget? Document other sources of support for the project, all matching and in-kind resources, and list other funding sought. Your budget should detail labor, materials, travel, and outreach costs, with justification for each. If applying for a multi-year project, please provide a breakdown of your budget by year.

Submission requirements
Make sure to supply the name, address, e-mail address, and telephone number for the principal investigator for the project.

Send eight (8) copies of your proposal (faxed or emailed copies will not be accepted) to:

Grants Program
Organic Farming Research Foundation
P.O. Box 440
Santa Cruz, CA 95061

For express shipping purposes, OFRF’s street address is 303 Potrero St., Ste. 29-203, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
Proposals must be received in the OFRF office by the close of business on the deadline. Upcoming deadlines are Friday, May 15, 2009 and Monday, November 16, 2009.
Do not bind or staple the proposal. Please use paper clips or binder clips only.
12-point font must be used for all text in the proposal.
Number the pages of your proposal and limit it to 9 pages.
Proposals that do not address organic farming issues or follow these guidelines will not be considered for funding.

Review
Proposals will be reviewed by the members of the Board of Directors of the foundation. OFRF reserves the right to seek outside technical consultation as necessary.

The following criteria will be used to evaluate research proposals:

Presents clear objectives demonstrating that the project will foster the improvement and/or widespread adoption of organic farming practices, and specifies measurable outcomes that will indicate successful achievement of the objectives. (10 points)
Addresses a high priority organic farming issue, including production, social, or economic problems, and takes a systems rather than an input-substitution approach to solving production problems. (10 points)
Demonstrates meaningful farmer involvement in identifying the problem addressed by the project and in carrying out the project; provides compensation for farmer participation. (10 points)
Documents uniqueness of project with a thorough literature review. (5 points)
Uses a scientifically sound methodology appropriate to meeting project objectives. (15 points)
Is entirely sited on certified organic land. (10 points)
Presents an outreach plan describing how the results will be disseminated to the farming community. (15 points)
Proposal is well-written and clear; follows the requirements in the Request for Proposals including page limits and font size; demonstrates the conceptual adequacy of the project, and presents a realistic timeline for each of the project's activities. (10 points)
Describes the qualifications and skills of the applicants and all cooperators demonstrating that they are qualified to ensure the success of the project. (5 points)
Presents a well-justified and detailed budget appropriate to carrying out the project's objectives, showing any matching funds applied for or already secured. (10 points)

If your project is funded
OFRF requires that successful applicants sign a grant contract before initial payment of the grant award. OFRF will retain 10% of the total grant award until completion of the project, timely submission of a final report by the grantee, and a satisfactory evaluation of the project by OFRF staff. Evaluation involves analyzing whether or not the original project objectives were met, not the success or failure of a project. OFRF expects all grantees to post their final results to the www.organicaginfo.org website as part of their dissemination of results.

ATTENTION FARMERS AND RANCHERS: Additional consulting is available to help you craft your research proposal. Contact OFRF’s grants program director, Jane Sooby, at (831) 426-6606 or jane@ofrf.org for details.

Suggested references

OFRF's List of previously-funded projects. This will give the applicant a sense of the type of projects the Board has an interest in funding, and help avoid duplicating previously funded work.

OFRF's Guide to Conducting On-farm Research, which may be useful in determining project objectives and experimental design.

OFRF's Guide to Conducting a Literature Review

Investing in Organic Knowledge: Impacts of the First 13 Years of the Organic Farming Research Foundation's Grantmaking Program. A new report documenting the widespread impact of OFRF's grantmaking.

Additional background on your topic may also be found at http://www.organicaginfo.org/

If you have additional questions, you may write to, call, or e-mail the OFRF office, phone 831-426-6606, e-mail jane@ofrf.org

Revised March 2009