GRIFFIN, Georgia – The Call for Pre-proposals for the 2026 Southern SARE Professional Development Program (PDP) Grants is now open. One (1) or two (2) year proposals may be funded up to $100,000.
The Professional Development Program is a “train the trainer” program, providing funding to agricultural professionals to train Cooperative Extension agents, USDA field personnel, and other ag professionals and educators in areas of sustainable agriculture production practices. Training activities may include seminars, workshops, farm tours, and on-farm demonstrations, or the marketing and distributing of training materials. Activities may take place in a single state, multiple states, or throughout the entire Southern region.
The release timeline for the 2026 Professional Development Program Grants Pre-proposal, along with the full proposal invite, has been adjusted. Please make a note of this one-time, modified schedule. The 2027 Professional Development Program Grants are expected to be available per their normal grant release schedule in July 2027.
The deadline to submit a 2026 Professional Development Program Grant Pre-proposal is November 14, 2025 at 12 p.m. EST (NOON).
Pre-proposal applicants who are invited to submit a full proposal will be notified by email in February 2026. The deadline to submit a full proposal will be in May 2026, and full proposals will be awarded in August 2026.
Download the Call for Proposal and carefully read the application instructions. Failure to follow the submission guidelines may result in the rejection of your proposal.
To be considered for funding a project must meet the following criteria:
- Project outcomes must focus on developing sustainable agriculture systems or moving existing systems toward sustainability, as defined in the 1990 Farm Bill.
- A project’s central purpose must be to provide or enable training to one or all of the following: Cooperative Extension Service agents, USDA field personnel from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency and other USDA agencies, and other agricultural professionals and educators, including mentor farmers* who will serve as trainers. Research projects and farmer-outreach or education projects do not qualify for this funding.
- Quality of Life- How will this Train-the-Trainer program lead to improved quality of life for producers, and, by extension, communities and consumers in the Southern region?
- Outreach- Please indicate how you will conduct your outreach plan, such as trainings, workshops, or field days.
All of the guidelines, program goals, review criteria, and the submission process to apply for a Southern SARE Professional Development Program Grant will be found within the Call for Proposal. For more information on sustainable agriculture, visit the Southern SARE website.
Published by the Southern Region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Southern SARE operates under cooperative agreements with the University of Georgia, Fort Valley State University, and the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture to offer competitive grants to advance sustainable agriculture in America’s Southern region. This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.