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

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440 Grants found

Reducing the Carbon Footprint of U.S. Beef Cattle Production – a Texas Pilot Program

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

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $1,223,474

Total award amount   $2,446,948

Location   Manhattan, KS

Matching Funders   Colorado State University, Innovative Livestock Services, Five Rivers Cattle Feeding K-State Mississippi State University, Nanostring, Texas A&M University and Veterinary Research & Consulting Services

Grantee Institution   Kansas State University

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD), commonly called “shipping fever,” is a serious animal welfare concern and costs U.S. ranchers about $900 million annually. BRD infected cattle generally die from late day pulmonary disease triggered by secondary bacterial diseases, like acute interstitial pneumonia. A multi-disciplinary team is researching how to prevent late day pulmonary disease from developing in these cattle to provide veterinarians and producers with information to make informed prevention and treatment decisions and help the beef industry use antibiotics more judiciously.

FoodShot Global Challenge #4 Water GroundBreaker Prize (United Kingdom) 

Year Awarded  2024

Total award amount   80,000

Location   London, United Kingdom

Program   FoodShot Global Challenge

Matching Funders   Builders Initiative, FoodShot Global, The Rockefeller Foundation

Grantee Institution   ThinkAqua

FoodShot Global is a collaboration between venture funds, banks, corporations, universities and foundations to improve our food system. This research creates networked clusters around locally owned hubs that provide farmers with market access, inputs and technical support. The initiative addresses small-scale farmers’ needs by ensuring a ready market for tilapia, producing high-quality seed fish and reducing production costs by using fish feed from Black Soldier Fly larvae, which also serve as organic fertilizer.

FoodShot Global Challenge #4 Water GroundBreaker Prize (Indiana) 

Year Awarded  2024

Total award amount   150,000

Location   Indianapolis, IN

Program   FoodShot Global Challenge

Matching Funders   Builders Initiative, FoodShot Global, The Rockefeller Foundation

Grantee Institution   Atarraya

Dr. Daniel Russek’s transformative Shrimpbox technology reduces water usage by over 98% compared to traditional methods and eliminates discharges. This innovation promotes efficient water management and mitigates the environmental impact of shrimp production. Dr. Russek’s initiative integrates regenerative agriculture with sustainable aquaculture by enhancing soil health and crop productivity at Atarraya’s Smart Biotech shrimp farm in Oaxaca, Mexico, and providing a scalable model for global adaptation.

FoodShot Global Challenge #4 Water GroundBreaker Prize (Arizona) 

Year Awarded  2024

Total award amount   $250,000

Location   Tucson, AZ

Program   FoodShot Global Challenge

Matching Funders   Builders Initiative, FoodShot Global, The Rockefeller Foundation

Grantee Institution   University of Arizona, Hydro Futures

Dr. Laura Condon developed the only national platform that simulates watershed dynamics from bedrock to treetops across the United States, providing producers with cost-effective predictions and improving irrigation and crop choices at only a fraction of the cost of traditional models. Dr. Condon aims to develop new capabilities to evaluate irrigation and crop scenarios and accelerate the commercial adoption of these innovative tools.

FFAR Vet Fellows Sixth Cohort 

Year Awarded  2024

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 15 recipients of the 2024 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.

Exploring the Benefits of Integrating the Biological Nitrification Inhibition (BNI) Trait into Winter Wheat to Enhance Nitrogen Use Efficiency: Establishing BNI in Winter Wheat & Developing a Comprehensive Nitrogen Assessment Platform for Global Potential

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $1,932,367

Total award amount   $14,492,754

Location   Texcoco, Mexico

Matching Funders   Novo Nordisk Foundation

Grantee Institution   CIMMYT

The biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) trait has the potential to improve nitrogen use efficiency and soil health by stabilizing nitrogen reserves within the root zone of crops. This project seeks to introduce the BNI trait into winter wheat using next generation breeding technologies that reduce generation time, conserve resources and increase the number of generations per year. The goal is to deliver winter wheat with improved nitrogen use efficiency, high yield and adaptability. In addition, the researchers are developing a comprehensive platform to better measure and assess nitrogen cycling, helping to determine the BNI trait’s contribution to improving nitrogen use efficiency in wheat production systems.

Reducing the Carbon Footprint of U.S. Beef Cattle Production – a Texas Pilot Program

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $713,115

Total award amount   $1,426,230

Location   Amarillo, TX

Program   AgMission

Matching Funders   McDonald's USA and Golden State Foods

Grantee Institution   Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service 

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service researchers are tracking and promotion the adoption of enhanced beef cattle production practices in Texas, which produces nearly 15% of the nation’s beef cattle. Researchers are providing Texas beef cattle producers with customized programming and educational resources on enhancing production efficiency in cow-calf and stocker cattle operations.

Fast-Track On-Farm Impact from the Cool Soil Initiative to Enhance the Climate Resilience of Australia’s Grain Producers 

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $748,394

Total award amount   $3,783,598

Location   Bathurst, Australia

Program   AgMission

Matching Funders   PepsiCo, Cool Soil Initiative

Grantee Institution   Charles Stuart University

Charles Stuart University is examining agriculture practices in cropping to enhance the efficiency of local Australian grain producers, which can also be applied to benefit U.S. farmers. This research builds on the Cool Soil Initiative, a partnership that has built and implemented a scientifically credible framework to support farmers in practices that reduce environmental impact and increase soil health.

Accelerating the Adoption of Climate Resilient Regenerative Agricultural Practices Across the Wheat and Maize Value Chain in the Mexican Bajío 

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $750,000

Total award amount   $1,500,000

Location   Texcoco, Mexico

Program   AgMission

Matching Funders   PepsiCo

Grantee Institution   International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)

CIMMYT is conducting research to accelerate the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices in wheat and maize in Mexico. Researchers are using field measurements and modeling to estimate current and potential environemtal impact the Bajío region of Mexico. Learnings from this research can benefit wheat growers in the U.S. and around the world.

Co-development of Innovative Prairie Cover Crop Strategies to Drive Adoption of Regenerative Climate Smart Agriculture in Key Sourcing Regions 

Year Awarded  2024

FFAR award amount   $749,346

Total award amount   $1,498,693

Location   Saskatchewan, Canada

Program   AgMission

Matching Funders   PepsiCo

Grantee Institution   South East Research Farm

South East Research Farm is collaborating with University of Manitoba researchers to collect farm-level data that will be used in environmental models to evaluate the suitability of agriculture practices and their impact on crop yield, grain quality, soil health and environmental services.