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

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426 Grants found

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Innovations in Plant Genetics to Develop Intermediate Wheatgrass as a Next-Generation Sustainable Crop

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $992,419

Total award amount   $1,985,206

Location   Minneapolis, MN

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Forever Green Initiative, Malone Family Land Preservation Foundation, The Land Institute

Grantee Institution   University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota is accelerate the development of intermediate wheatgrass, trademarked as Kernza by The Land Institute, which is a perennial plant, meaning it requires only one planting. Not only do perennial crops like Kernza reduce labor and input costs, their deep roots reduce soil erosion and trap more carbon, benefitting the environment.

FFAR Vet Fellows Second Cohort

Year Awarded  2020

Total award amount   $10,000 per student

Location   Washington, D.C.

Matching Funders   American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC)

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) announced the 11 recipients of the 2020 Veterinary Student Research Fellowships (Vet Fellows) in partnership with the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC). This fellowship creates opportunities for veterinary students to pursue research on global food security and sustainable animal production.

Rethinking seafood by-product: A path to provide sustainable nutrition and improve resource utilization

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $333,777

Total award amount   $667,570

Location   Corvallis, OR

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Oregon State University, OSU Food Innovation Center, Pacific Seafood Group, Seafood Industry Research Fund, Trident Seafoods, West Coast Seafood Processors Association

Grantee Institution   Oregon State University

The American food system wastes food and resources, in part because raw materials are discarded during processing. This waste, especially of protein sources, is highly problematic as an additional 148 million people may be protein deficient by 2050 due to climate change. Researchers at Oregon State University are developing high protein, nutritious and attractive food products from byproducts of the seafood industry.

Precision Bred Adaptation of Elite Taurine Breeds of Beef & Dairy Cattle

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $748,545

Total award amount   $1,497,641

Location   Gainesville, FL

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Acceligen, The Semex Alliance

Grantee Institution   Acceligen

Cattle, if not adapted to heat, can exhibit an extreme physical reaction to heat stress, including reductions in feed intake and milk production, slowed growth and increased disease susceptibility. Acceligen researchers are examining how genetic alterations can improve heat resistance in cattle. By introducing naturally occurring gene variations into breeds of cattle that are not adapted to heat, researchers can better understand how to control heat stress and ultimately improve animal health, well-being, fertility and economic return for producers.

Genome Editing Wheat for Durable & Sustainable Disease Resistance

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $900,000

Total award amount   $3,272,723

Location   Berkeley, CA

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   2Blades Foundation, Innovative Genomics Institute

Grantee Institution   University of California Berkely

To control plant epidemics by breeding plants for disease resistance, scientists use traditional crop breeding to introduce, or stack, multiple resistance genes – though this is a time-consuming approach and pathogens evolve to overcome resistance.  University of California, Berkeley researchers are using gene editing technology to stack resistance genes in the wheat crops that specifically recognize the pathogen’s proteins. By recognizing the pathogen’s proteins, the plant can fight the pathogen, even if the pathogen mutates.

Finding the Proper Levers: Identifying Leverage Points for Tranformation in Urban Food Systems Through Participatory Modeling

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $99,230

Total award amount   $99,230

Location   Flint, MI

Program   Tipping Points

Grantee Institution   Michigan State University

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is highlighting food system deficiencies. Producers are struggling to reach consumers due to concerns with processing, distribution and demand. We provided supplemental funding to the Michigan State University research team investigating how emergency food programs, including food banks, schools and Meals on Wheels, intersect with the retail sector.

Modeling the Future of Food in Your Neighborhood

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $100,000

Total award amount   $100,000

Location   Cleveland, OH

Program   Tipping Points

Grantee Institution   Case Western Reserve University - School of Medicine

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is highlighting food system deficiencies. Producers are struggling to reach consumers due to concerns with processing, distribution and demand. We provided supplemental funding to the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine research team to model the effects of COVID-19 in neighborhoods with high, medium and low food security before March 2020. Their findings will be used to tailor food system solutions to diverse neighborhood contexts.

Evaluating Food Access Strategies in Austin To Improve Healthy Food Consumption and Food Security

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $83,356

Total award amount   $83,356

Location   Austin, TX

Grantee Institution   University of Texas Health Science Center

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is highlighting food system deficiencies. Producers are struggling to reach consumers due to concerns with processing, distribution and demand. We provided supplemental funding to FRESH Austin to examine the impact of the pandemic on access to fresh, nutritious food in the Austin area.

Conservation of an Endophytic Insect-pathogenic Fungus for Plant Protection in Organic Cropping Systems.

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $19,468

Total award amount   $19,468

Location   State College, PA

Matching Funders   Organic Farming Research Foundation

Grantee Institution   Penn State University

Weeds, pests and diseases often devastate soil health, impact environmental health and threaten global food security. In partnership with the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), we awarded a grant to Pennsylvania State University researchers examine how to promote and conserve the beneficial soil fungus, Metarhizium robertsii. This fungus can increase plant growth and tolerance to environmental stresses, which are expected to increase with climate change.

Cover Crops for Soil Health: Demonstration of On-Farm Trial

Year Awarded  2020

FFAR award amount   $19,620

Total award amount   $19,620

Location   Rio Grande, TX

Matching Funders   Organic Farming Research Foundation

Grantee Institution   University of Texas Rio Grande

Weeds, pests and diseases often devastate soil health, impact environmental health and threaten global food security. In partnership with the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), we awarded a grant to the University of Texas at Rio Grande to evaluate whether cover crops can restore soil health, suppress weeds and reduce pest populations. This research provides farmers with information on cover crop selection and management that improves the long-term sustainability of organic agriculture systems.