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

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64 Grants found

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PIP Indoor Tomato Farming Project 

Year Awarded  2022

Total award amount   $2,112,454

Location   Gainesville, FL

Matching Funders   AeroFarms, BASF, Fluence by OSRAM, GreenVenus, Priva

Grantee Institution   University of Florida

Controlled environment agriculture is a promising opportunity to sustain and develop our food systems despite climate change. Yet, there is still limited knowledge of the conditions popular crops need to thrive indoors. Controlled environment agriculture’s potential is also hampered by scientists’ lack of understanding of genetic advantages that can smooth a crop’s transition to indoor farming. University of Florida researchers are defining and enhancing the physical and genetic traits in tomatoes that affect flavor and that can make them suitable for controlled environments.

FFAR Research Tackles Peanut Allergy 

Year Awarded  2021

FFAR award amount   $299,922

Total award amount   $609,816

Location   Clemson, SC

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Clemson University, North Carolina State University and The University at North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Grantee Institution   Clemson University

Peanuts are an affordable source of proteins and are an important source of beneficial fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Despite its unique nutrient profile and affordability, the peanut is also a primary source of food allergies. Clemson University researchers are developing a reduced allergenic, high-oleic peanut genotypes, essentially reducing the allergens within peanuts while increasing the healthy fats.

University of Tennessee Receives FFAR Grant to Help Address Food Waste Challenges 

Year Awarded  2021

FFAR award amount   $308,171

Total award amount   $616,378

Location   Knoxville, TN

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Metro Nashville, Resource Capture, UT and Urban Green Lab

Grantee Institution   University of Tennessee

UT researchers are developing a Decision Support System (DSS), which will enable partners, city planners and community leaders to determine best options for identifying and scaling food waste redirection, composting and use of compost using a model that can be easily applied to other cities.

FFAR Grant Addresses Food Waste Reduction Challenges 

Year Awarded  2021

FFAR award amount   $308,171

Total award amount   $616,378

Location   Knoxville, TN

Program   Seeding Solutions

Matching Funders   Metro Nashville, Resource Capture, University of Tennessee, and Urban Green Lab

Grantee Institution   University of Tennessee

Nearly one-third of landfill waste consists of food waste matter that could be redirected to alternative waste reduction methods, such as composting. However, addressing food waste reduction presents communities, especially cities, with significant challenges related to policy, technology and cost-effectiveness. The University of Tennessee (UT) will develop and execute a food waste Decision Support System (DSS), enabling city planners to easily evaluate innovative waste reduction solutions and technologies.

Bringing Nutrition Back into Rice Yield Gains

Year Awarded  2021

FFAR award amount   $999,999

Total award amount   $2,191,745

Location   Laguna, Philippines

Matching Funders   Corteva Pioneer Hi-Bred Private Limited, International Rice Research Institute, University of Nebraska Lincoln

Grantee Institution   University of the Philippines

Excessive consumption of carbohydrate-rich, high-glycemic index rice is linked to increased risk of chronic illnesses. This project will introduce the low glycemic index trait into popular varieties of rice. To maintain or increase the yield of the low glycemic index rice, yield-enhancing genes will be combined with low glycemic index traits through speed breeding technologies. Researchers will also test the suitability of the rice and rice products for U.S. and international markets.

Periodic Table of Food Initiative 

Year Awarded  2021

FFAR award amount   $5,000,000

Total award amount   $10,000,000

Location   Washington, D.C.

Matching Funders   The Rockefeller Foundation, Seerave Foundation

Grantee Institution   Oregon State University

Sustainable, diverse foods that meet individuals’ nutritional needs can prevent diet-related illnesses and malnourishment; however, scientific understanding of the nutritional benefits of individual foods is still rudimentary. At most, 150 of foods’ biochemical components are tracked in conventional databases, representing only a tiny fraction of the tens of thousands of biochemicals in food. The Periodic Table of Food Initiative is a global effort to standardize food analysis and better understand foods’ impact on human health, agriculture and nutrition.

SKY HIGH Consortium 

Year Awarded  2021

FFAR award amount   $1,061,576

Total award amount   $6,630,342

Location   Wageningen, The Netherlands

Matching Funders   Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions, Bayer, Bosman Van Zaal, Certhon, Dutch Research Council, Fresh Forward, Grodan, GrowX, Own Greens, Signify, Solynta, Unilever, Van Bergen Kolpa Architects

Grantee Institution   Wageningen University

SKY HIGH: Vertical Farming, a revolution in plant production, is a program to advance vertical farming by researching plant genetics and indoor growing conditions that help crops thrive and enhance desired qualities.

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.

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.