1. 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.)
   
   
2. 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.
   
   
3. What is the issue that you are addressing and why is it important to organic producers? Detail how farmers or ranchers have been involved in determining the focus of the project and in its planning. How will they be involved throughout the project?
   
   
4. 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.
   
   
5. 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?
   
   
6. Organic certification. Describe the organic certification status of the research area, length of time under organic certification, and provide the certifier’s name. If an area is not certified organic, please explain why. If it is in transitional status, provide the date when it is expected to come under certification.
   
   
7. What is your plan for delivering the information from the project to farmers/ranchers or other end users? Each project MUST have a strong outreach plan to disseminate the findings, including a combination of field days, articles, publications, videos, etc. If you plan to develop a publication or video, describe how it will be distributed.
   
   
8. 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.
   
   
9. 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. Please provide a 1- or 2-page CV or resume for major participants only.
   
   
10. 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. Include fair compensation for farmer collaborators. If applying for a multi-year project, please provide a breakdown of your budget by year.

The following criteria will be used to evaluate research proposals:

1. 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)
   

2. 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)
   

3. 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)
   

4. Documents uniqueness of project with a thorough literature review. (5 points)
   
   
5. Uses a scientifically sound methodology appropriate to meeting project objectives. (15 points)
   
   
6. Is entirely sited on certified organic land. (10 points)
   
   
7. Presents an outreach plan describing how the results will be disseminated to the farming community. (15 points)
   
   
8. 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)
   
   
9. 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)
   
   
10. 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.

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

If you have additional questions, you may write to, call, or email OFRF Grants Program Director Jane Sooby, phone 831-426-6606, e-mail jane@ofrf.org

Revised September 2011