Applicant Policies & Guidelines

The following policies and guidelines assist applicants in applying for our open opportunities.

We recognize that technology resulting from FFAR-funded research may have public health, scientific, business or commercial applications or value. Our Intellectual Property Policy addresses the patenting, copyrighting and/or licensing of such technologies.

The FFAR IP Policy is a standard component of our funding framework and is not subject to redlining or direct edits. Applicants and grantees should treat the policy as the governing terms under which FFAR funding is provided. Questions regarding the FFAR IP Policy should be directed to our Partnerships & Development Team.

As of July 2025, applicants may use up to 15% of the total direct costs for indirect costs. The Indirect Cost Policy further outlines our policies and how to calculate these costs.

As directed in the 2014 Farm Bill, we build public-private partnerships that fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. The law requires that we match every dollar of public funding with at least one dollar from a private source.