Fertilizer Research and Education Program

The Fertilizer Research and Education Program is administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, a state-level agency responsible for promoting agricultural innovation, environmental stewardship, and economic viability within California’s agricultural sector. Through this program, the department funds projects that advance environmentally safe and agronomically sound practices related to the use and handling of fertilizing materials. The program serves as a mechanism to support applied research, outreach, and education initiatives that directly benefit agricultural producers, researchers, and stakeholders across California. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to support projects that improve nutrient and irrigation management practices. These efforts are intended to enhance efficiency, reduce environmental impacts such as nutrient loss, and increase adoption of best management practices among growers. The program is divided into two major funding categories: outreach, education, and training projects, and research and demonstration projects. Each category targets specific priorities, including improving technical knowledge among growers, evaluating barriers to adoption of sustainable practices, and developing innovative technologies or management systems. Funding is available at different levels depending on the project type. Outreach, education, and training projects may receive up to 75000 dollars per year, while research and demonstration projects may receive up to 100000 dollars per year. The maximum project duration is three years, although exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis depending on project scope and justification. The program encourages leveraging additional funding sources but does not require cost sharing. Importantly, the program does not support proprietary product development, testing, or promotional activities, ensuring that funded projects contribute broadly to public knowledge and agricultural sustainability. Eligibility is not explicitly limited to a narrow set of entity types but is implied to include organizations capable of conducting agricultural research, outreach, and education activities. This typically includes public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and potentially other research or extension entities. The program also emphasizes inclusion by encouraging projects that benefit socially disadvantaged farmers and farm workers, as defined under the Farmer Equity Act of 2017. Applicants must align their proposals with at least one of the program’s specified priority areas to be considered. The application process begins with a required pre-proposal submission. Applicants must use the official pre-proposal template provided by the program and adhere to formatting requirements such as font type and spacing. Pre-proposals must be submitted via email in Word format to the designated program email address. Submissions that are incomplete, late, or not in the required format will be disqualified. Applicants who do not receive a confirmation email within two business days are instructed to follow up with program staff. The evaluation process is conducted by the Technical Advisory Subcommittee of the Fertilizer Inspection Advisory Board. This group of subject matter experts reviews pre-proposals based on alignment with program priorities, scientific merit, feasibility, and potential impact. Selected applicants are invited to submit full proposals, which undergo a second round of evaluation before final funding recommendations are made to the Secretary. The timeline for this opportunity includes a pre-proposal deadline of April 27, 2026, advancement notifications in June 2026, full proposal submissions in July 2026, and award notifications by October 2026, with project implementation beginning January 1, 2027. This funding opportunity follows an annual cycle and is structured as a competitive, multi-stage process requiring both conceptual and full proposal development. Applicants are encouraged to carefully review priority areas and ensure strong alignment with program goals to improve their chances of advancement through the evaluation stages.

Ensure strong alignment with priority areas and clearly demonstrate measurable impact and feasibility; include outreach components where required