Youth Pathways to Careers in Agriculture (RFP)

Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation invites proposals from organizations and innovative partnerships interested in delivering programming in the state of Ohio. The Foundation intends to award up to $100,000 in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Overview
There is a strong need to attract young people to careers in agriculture. The USDA projects a shortage nationally of qualified individuals to fill careers in agriculture. Nearly 40% of jobs in the food, agricultural and environmental sciences will go unfilled in the next five years. In the next 10 years, 470,000 new workers are needed for agribusiness occupations, of which 90,000 will be needed in direct farming occupations.

An increased focus on careers in agriculture will have a direct impact on the strength of the farm and food community, the security, and availability of food for the future, and the well-being of Ohio.

The Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation seeks to support efforts that introduce students to or train them for high-demand careers in food, agricultural and environmental sciences. We are particularly interested in programs that create career pathways that allow students to explore with mentors learning opportunities that present a wide variety of careers in related fields.

 

Objective

The objective of this RFP opportunity is to improve and initiate career pathways in food, agriculture and environmental sciences by utilizing partnerships between community organizations, education and industry that will successfully prepare students for post-secondary training or direct placement in related industries.

Award information

  • Anticipated project duration: 12 months
  • Total amount for this opportunity: Up to $100,000
  • Estimated number of awards: To be determined. The total number of projects to be funded under this opportunity depends on the quality and budgets of successful applications.
  •  Anticipated Award Date: Nov. 30, 2021

Who is eligible?

Grants are typically made only to nonprofit organizations with tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service code, or who have a fiscal sponsor with this status. Under certain circumstances, applications organizations that do not meet this criteria, but are providing a charitable program, may be considered.
In all cases, the applicant must operate statewide at multiple sites or have innovative initiatives that can be delivered in several Ohio counties.

Youth Pathways RFP

All applicants must participate in a pre-submission pitch session. This is an opportunity to present their idea before the Youth Pathways Advisory Committee to gain valuable feedback and refine their proposal for final submission. Each applicant must present their idea using the sample slide deck provided by the Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation.

Youth Pathways Instructions and Information

Youth Pathways Sample Pitch Session Slide Deck

2021 Grant Cycle
Sign up for Pre-submission Pitch Session: Sept. 1, 2021-Sept. 24, 2021
Proposal Pitch Session: Sept. 29, 2021
Final Proposal Submission:  Sept. 30- Oct. 18, 2021
Anticipated Award Date: Nov. 30, 2021

Submissions are closed.