Grants Archive

Awarded Grants
Below is a listing of our awarded grants that tackle big food and agriculture challenges.

Using novel genes from wild germplasm to boost protein content in cultivated chickpea

Year Awarded 2020

FFAR award amount $500,000

Total award amount $1,000,000

Location Davis, CA

Program Plant Protein Enhancement Project

Matching Funders Open Philanthropy

Grantee Institution NuCicer

The future of agriculture requires producing more food on less land in an environmentally sustainable manner. Ensuring global nutritional security depends in large part on plants that are more efficient at producing calories and protein than livestock. However, centuries of crop domestication have limited the genetic capacity to improve widely consumed crops to meet these needs. NuCicer is introducing greater genetic diversity into chickpea varieties. This research is increasing protein content and quality and developing other desirable agronomic traits in chickpeas.

Accelerating Genetic Gains in Maize & Wheat for Improved Livelihoods

Year Awarded 2020

FFAR award amount $5,000,000

Total award amount $35,000,000

Location Texcoco, Mexico

Matching Funders Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CIMMYT

Grantee Institution CIMMYT

This project brings together partners in the global science community and in national agricultural research to accelerate the development of pest and disease resistant, highly nutritious and higher-yielding varieties of maize and wheat, two of the world's most important staple crops. Researchers are usign innovative methods that improve breeding efficiency and precision to produce varieties targeted to farmers’ needs.

Harnessing Translational Research Across a Global Wheat Improvement Network for Climate Resilience

Year Awarded 2020

FFAR award amount $5,000,000

Total award amount $17,000,000

Location Texcoco, Mexico

Matching Funders Accelerating Genetic Gains for Maize and Wheat, CGIAR Research Program on Wheat

Grantee Institution CIMMYT

Hotter and drier weather threatens the global wheat supply. The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is leading the Heat and Drought Wheat Improvement Consortium (HeDWIC) to develop wheat designed to ensure the crop’s long-term productivity.

Genetic and microbial determinants of nitrogen fixation in a Sierra Mixe landrace of maize

Year Awarded 2019

FFAR award amount $927,581

Total award amount $1,855,162

Location Davis, CA

Program Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders Benson Hill

Grantee Institution University of California Davis

Plants need nitrogen to grow. Although the majority of earth’s atmosphere is made up of nitrogen, plants cannot access this form of nitrogen. We awarded a grant to the University of California, Davis to study a Mexican corn variety, Sierra Mixe, that obtains atmospheric nitrogen with the help of microbes, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers.

Metagenomic Probes for the Rapid Identification of the Microbiome Community in A Wheat Rhizospheremodel System

Year Awarded 2019

FFAR award amount $120,000

Total award amount $240,000

Location Stillwater, OK

Matching Funders Oklahoma State University

Grantee Institution Oklahoma State University

Plant pathogens can harm plants, reduce water quality and cause soil erosion. Oklahoma State University researchers are using high-throughput sequencing to determine what affects plant health.

A Systematic Approach to Improve Heifer Selection and the Sustainability of Beef Production.

Year Awarded 2019

FFAR award amount $297,907

Total award amount $599,310

Location Auburn, AL

Matching Funders Auburn University, Swiss National Science Foundation, University of Georgia, California State Beekeepers’ Association

Grantee Institution Auburn University

Cattle infertility causes significant loss for cattle producers. Auburn University researchers are improving the efficiency of cattle production by identifying molecular markers that indicate reproductive potential. This research can help producers select cattle with the best reproductive capabilities.

Improving the Nutritional Quality of Tomatoes

Year Awarded 2019

FFAR award amount $299,042

Total award amount $598,908

Location Columbus, OH

Matching Funders The Ohio State University

Grantee Institution Ohio State University

Diet is the leading cause of many chronic diseases. The Ohio State University research team is combining plant breeding/genetics, analytical chemistry, bioinformatics and nutrition to develop tomatoes that are more beneficial for human health.

Tools to Detect and Understand Spread of African Swine Fever Virus

Year Awarded 2019

FFAR award amount $267,890

Total award amount $535,780

Location Des Moines, IA

Matching Funders National Pork Board, Cargill, Kemin, Purina Animal Nutrition, Kansas State University

Grantee Institution Kansas State University, Iowa State University

The African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) is a highly contagious disease that spreads rapidly in pig populations and has no known cure. Kansas State University and Iowa State University researchers are studying how ASFV survives in pens and developing diagnostic tools to test pigs for the virus.

A Microchip-based Chemical Sensor For Early-Stage in Ovo Sex Determination of Layer Chicks

Year Awarded 2019

FFAR award amount $400,000

Total award amount $400,000

Location Davis, CA

Program Egg-Tech Prize

Matching Funders Open Philanthropy

Grantee Institution SensIT Ventures

As only female chicks are used for egg production, male chicks are culled after hatching. FFAR's Egg-Tech Prize is developing technology that can determine a chick’s sex before it hatches so male egg can be used for other purposes. SensIT Venture Inc. researchers are developing a chemical sensor chip to detect the volatiles and using machine learning to classify the eggs by gender. This project is one of the six Phase I winners, who received funding to develop the necessary technology to compete for the Prize.

Innovative Techniques for Fast in Ovo Sexing in Poultry By Detection of Gender Specific Volatiles

Year Awarded 2019

FFAR award amount $316,370

Total award amount $650,842

Location Leuven, Belgium

Program Egg-Tech Prize

Matching Funders Open Philanthropy

Grantee Institution KU Leuven

As only female chicks are used for egg production, male chicks are culled after hatching. FFAR's Egg-Tech Prize is developing technology that can determine a chick’s sex before it hatches so male egg can be used for other purposes. KU Leuven scientists are developing a non-invasive ovo sexing technique that registers volatile organic compounds passing that pass through the eggshell during incubation. This project is one of the six Phase I winners, who received funding to develop the necessary technology to compete for the Prize.

Awarded GrantsBelow is a listing of our awarded grants that tackle big food and agriculture challenges.

166 Grants found

Development of a Vaccine for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Virus in Cattle

Decision Tools Help Producers Analyze Cost of Swine Mortality for Operations Improvement

Addressing Red Crown Rot in Soybeans

FFAR Rapid Funding Develops Pest Management Program for Sweet Corn

FFAR Rapid Research Develops H5N1 Waste Stream Surveillance Tool

A multiplexed chemical sensor system to automate non-invasive, in-ovo sex determination for the poultry industry

Leveraging landrace genomics to rapidly engineer thermotolerant cassava

Using novel genes from wild germplasm to boost protein content in cultivated chickpea

Genetic and microbial determinants of nitrogen fixation in a Sierra Mixe landrace of maize

Japanese Encephalitis Virus Program Six Awards

Improving Fiber Hemp Quality Through Enhanced Retting Probiotics & Appropriate Harvest Timing

Improving Hemp Quality Through Harvest Timing & Enhanced Processing

Addressing On-Farm Bird Flu Outbreaks Linked to Wild Waterfowl

Rapid Response to Novel Resistance-Breaking Strain of Pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum in Cultivated Strawberry

Grant Improves Stress Tolerance in Carrots

Decreasing Pulmonary-Associated Mortality in Feedlot Cattle Using Refined Case Definitions & Predictive Analytics, Emphasizing Acute Interstitial Pneumonia & Late Day BRD

Metabolomic analysis of blood plasma to identify unique biomarkers indicative of liver abscesses

Associations between feeding & management practices of beef-on-dairy cattle from birth to harvest with liver abscesses

Promoting antimicrobial stewardship through improved understanding of how feedlot cattle are classified based on BRD risk

Antimicrobial Use Monitoring & Benchmarking in U.S. Feedyards

FFAR Vet Fellows Sixth Cohort

FFAR Rapid Research Builds Diagnostic Tools & Vaccine for Avian Metapneumovirus

FFAR Research to Protect Vegetable Crops from Invasive Pest

Protecting Vegetable Crops from Invasive Pests

A Novel Cell-Surface-Receptor Strategy for Mitigating Mycotoxins

Modeling for genomic, blood & microbiological markers for liver abscesses in fed beef cattle

Understanding liver abscess pathogenesis & risk-factors of feedlot cattle reared in conventional beef versus dairy management systems

ICASA: Defining the contribution of acidosis to the liver abscess complex using novel challenge model to delineate impacts of diet composition and feeding management on liver abscess pathogenesis

Acoustic Monitoring to Support Mass Cattle Treatment Decisions

An International Collaboration for Combating Fusarium Wilt in Cotton

Field trial of rice gene-edited rice for drought tolerance

Elucidating the Genetic Basis for Sub-Tropical Flowering in Hemp

Breeding & Characterizing New Cultivars of Grain & Fiber Hemp

Integrating Genomics, Milk Spectrometry & Microbial Manipulations to Mitigate Enteric Methane Emissions from Dairy Cattle

Hydrogen Production and Hydrogen Utilization in the Rumen of Beef & Dairy Cattle: Key Rumen Microbiome Measurements to Understand Mechanisms Controlling Methanogenesis & Mitigating Enteric Methane Emissions

Evaluation of the Efficacy, Agronomic Fit & Environmental Fate of Biopesticides for Management of Economically Important Diseases & Arthropod Pests of Hemp

A holistic approach to improving keel bone health of breeders and commercial layer hens

Developing Tomato Lines Resistant to Broomrape, a Critical World-wide Pest

Enabling African Scientists: The African Plant Breeding Academy CRISPR Course

Development of Novel Methanogenesis Inhibitors in Ruminants

Investigating Natural Nitro-Compounds as a Viable Strategy to Reduce Enteric Methane Emission from Ruminants

Grant Investigates Naturally Occurring Compound to Reduce Enteric Methane Emissions

FFAR Vet Fellows Fifth Cohort

FFAR Vet Fellows Fourth Cohort

FFAR Vet Fellows Third Cohort

Validation of Efficacy of a Protective DIVA-Compatible Prototype African Swine Fever Virus Vaccine

Identifying Proteins Required for Immunity to ASFV

Analyzing the Efficacy of Live-vectored Prototype ASFV Subunit Vaccines

Assessment of the Available Literature & Gap Analysis on the Use of Industrial Hemp as an Animal Feed

Multistate Characterization of Agronomic Performance of Hemp Cultivars, Including Sterility of New Triploid Cultivars

Impact of Spectra & Intensity of LED Supplemental Lighting on Morphology, Growth, Flower Yield & Phytochemical Content of Cannabis Sativa

Breeding & Genetics of Disease Resistance, Flowering Time & Cannabinoid Content in Hemp

Analysis of Terpenes & Neutral Cannabinoids Using Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometry & Genotyping of Hemp Using the SureSelect System

FFAR Grant Promotes Sorghum Health Benefits

ICASA: Antimicrobial Use Monitoring and Benchmarking in U.S. Feedyards

ICASA: Liver abscesses in feedlot cattle; further delineation of the etiology and pathogenesis

ICASA: Fecal microbiota transplant to reduce post-weaning diarrhea and antibiotic use

ICASA: Novel Strategies to Improve Understanding of Liver Abscess Formation and Mitigation in Beef Cattle

ICASA: Pathogen-host interaction during the development of liver abscesses; local and systemic immune and metabolic responses during Fusobacterium necrophorum challenges

Novel Strategies to Improve the Understanding of Liver Abscess Formation in Beef Cattle

ICASA: Improving the efficacy of vaccination against mycoplasma hyosynoviae by identifying optimal application times

Improving the Efficacy of Vaccination Against Mycoplasma Hyosynoviae by Identifying Optimal Application Times

ICASA: Risk Factors for Lameness in Finishing Pigs

ICASA: Development of a non-invasive model to induce liver abscess formation in cattle

Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program

Noninvasive Wellness Monitoring of Broiler Growout Using Continuous Audio Analytics (2022)

Fecal Microbiota Transplant to Reduce Post Weaning Diarrhea & Antibiotic Use

Risk Factors for Lameness in Finishing Pigs

Pathogen-Host Interaction During the Development of Liver Abscesses; Local & Systemic Immune & Metabolic Responses During Fusobacterium Necrophorum Challenges

Defining the Contribution of Acidosis to the Liver Abscess Complex Using a Novel Challenge Model to Delineate Impacts of Diet Composition & Feeding Management on Liver Abscess Pathogenesis

Further Delineation of the Etiology and Pathogenesis of Liver Abscesses in Feedlot Cattle

Development of a Non-Invasive Model to Induce Liver Abscess Formation in Beef Cattle

High protein aquatic plants for controlled environment indoor farms

Mitigating antibiotic use in aquaculture through vaccination

More Beans (MB): A Next Generation Legume for Healthy Urban Food

High dimensional phenomics and automation to transform cost and timeframe of early stage domestication of wild plants

Creating Science-Based Strategies for Gene Editing Communications

FFAR Awards Cornell University a Grant to Treat Udder Infection in Dairy Cattle

Awarded Grants
Below is a listing of our awarded grants that tackle big food and agriculture challenges.