Teachers and county Farm Bureaus can grow agricultural literacy in schools and communities with the help of several grants.
“Increasing agricultural literacy and awareness is essential to grow informed consumers, and teachers can take advantage of numerous grants and scholarships to do just that,” said Jordan Walker, TFB associate director of Organization Division, Educational Outreach.
Two grant applications currently open are the White-Reinhardt Mini-Grants and the CHS Foundation Grant.
White-Reinhardt Mini-Grants
County Farm Bureaus may apply for grants of up to $1,000 for K-12 educational programs through the White-Reinhardt Mini-Grant Program. The grant can be used to initiate new agricultural literacy programs or expand existing programs.
The national grant program was established to fund projects that help students and adults cultivate a better understanding of agriculture.
Through this grant process, county Farm Bureaus and local teachers can collaborate and build relationships, Walker noted.
“The grant program promotes collaboration with county Farm Bureau offices where teachers can connect with local agricultural experts who can serve as a valuable resource for programming efforts,” she said.
Grants valued at $1,000 are available on a competitive basis with priority given to those programs demonstrating a need for financial support.
Applications must be submitted by Oct. 15.
Applications must include a timeline and detailed budget with estimated expenses, as well as a summary of the project, goals and anticipated outcomes and the target audience.
The winners will be announced in the spring, and funds will be distributed to the County Farm Bureau.
For more information and to apply, visit https://www.agfoundation.org/projects/wr-grants-home.
White-Reinhardt Scholarships
The White-Reinhardt Scholarship provides funds to cover travel expenses for teachers and ag literacy volunteers to attend the 2022 National Ag in the Classroom Conference.
The scholarships are for full-time educators and/or volunteers who actively participate in classroom agricultural literacy programs or events.
Applicants must demonstrate through past programs an ability to create innovative outreach programs to teach students about food, fiber and fuel.
Applicants must also explain how information learned at the National Ag in the Classroom Conference will be used and why agricultural literacy is an important part of formal classroom learning.
Preference will be given to those educators and volunteer educators who have not received scholarships in the past.
Applications are due Oct. 15.
For more information and to apply, visit https://www.agfoundation.org/projects/ag-scholarships.
CHS Foundation Classroom Grant
The CHS Foundation provides $500 grants each year to PK-12 teachers who have classroom projects that use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, science, social studies and more.
Eligible projects include classroom and schoolyard gardens, embryology projects, aquaculture projects and agricultural literacy reading programs, among others.
Applications for the CHS Classroom Grant are due Sept. 15.
Teachers have until June 1 the following year to complete the project and submit a final report. Only state-certified classroom teachers employed by a school district or private school teachers are eligible to apply.
For more information and to apply, visit https://agclassroom.org/teacher/grants/.
Additional Grants
The Christina Sue Lilja Resource Grants will provide 50 educators with $100 each to purchase agricultural literacy resources from the Foundation store for their classrooms. The application is currently closed for this grant.
For more information, visit https://www.agfoundation.org/projects/CSL-resource-grants.
A list of other available grants and additional opportunities for teachers can also be found on TFB’s Ag in the Classroom webpage.