With American youth further removed from the farm than ever before, educating the next generation about the importance of agriculture is no small feat.
To help facilitate students’ learning about the sources of their food and fiber, the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture is offering White-Reinhardt Grants for the 2023-2024 school year. The organization is currently accepting applications for 10 $1,000 grants for educational projects in grades K-12 that create new agriculture literacy programs or expand existing efforts. Applications are due June 16.
County and state Farm Bureaus may apply for grants, and interested organizations and schools can work with their local county and state Farm Bureaus to apply. Grants are available on a competitive basis, and payments will be allocated to a state or county Farm Bureau to be used for the projects.
The grants are funded through the White-Reinhardt Fund for Education—a project of the AFBFA in cooperation with theAFBF Women’s Leadership Committee.
“These grants give communities opportunities to seek new and innovative activities to educate everyone about agriculture,” said Tammy Maxey, Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom’s executive director. “Farm Bureaus partner with schools and community groups to provide a variety of tools for children to learn about the many aspects of agriculture and how it’s vital to our daily lives.”
Last year, Franklin County Farm Bureau received a White-Reinhardt Grant. The county Farm Bureau’s Women’s Committee used the funds to purchase a 3D EnviroScape® model that illustrates the role conservation efforts play in protecting watersheds and wetlands. Members of the committee visit county schools and use the model to demonstrate the role farmers play in protecting the environment while growing food.
“Our first year, we were able to teach 115 people—three school-aged groups and an adult Master Gardener training class,” said Cynthia Martel, a Franklin County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee member. This year the unit has gone into seven classrooms.
“It’s the visual, hands-on learning the EnviroScape brings to the classroom that sets it apart. Kids are learning what it takes to grow the food they eat and the materials that make their clothing.”
The grants are intended to support items or projects that can be used repeatedly. Funding isn’t available for mileage, field trips, wages and benefits, safety programs or one-time consumable products such as copying, paper, seeds or meals.
For more information on grant applications, visit bit.ly/42tKKiZ. To find a local county Farm Bureau, visit vafb.com/locations.
