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Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) Call for Proposals

Grantor:
CA Department of Food and Agriculture
Portal ID:
164742
Status:
Active
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
Categories:

Details

Purpose:

The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) funds and facilitates projects to advance the environmentally safe and agronomically sound use and handling of fertilizing materials.

Description:

FREP is now accepting pre-proposals for projects that will begin in January 2027. Pre-proposals must focus on at least one of the priority areas listed below. Applicants are required to utilize the pre-proposal template (docx). Pre-proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. (PST) on Monday, April 27, 2026.

Grant funding of up to $75,000 per year is available for outreach, education and training projects and up to $100,000 per year for research and demonstration projects.

The maximum grant duration is three years. Requests for projects longer than three years or higher than the award ceiling will be considered on a case-by-case basis contingent on project needs. Projects leveraging other sources of funding are strongly encouraged.

FREP does not support proprietary product development, testing or promotions.CDFA encourages projects that include demonstrable benefits for socially disadvantaged farmers and farm workers. Socially disadvantaged groups include those whose members have been subjected to racial, ethnic, or gender discrimination. Socially disadvantaged groups are defined in the Farmer Equity Act of 2017.

This solicitation, as well as information about FREP activities and projects, is available by contacting FREP at FREP@cdfa.ca.gov or by visiting www.cdfa.ca.gov/go/FREP.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Business
  • Individual
  • Nonprofit
  • Other Legal Entity
  • Public Agency
  • Tribal Government

Pre-proposals must focus on at least one of the priority areas listed in the Request for Proposals call available on FREP grant page. Applicants are required to utilize the pre-proposal template (docx). Pre-proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. (PST) on Monday, April 27, 2026. FREP does not support proprietary product development, testing or promotions. 

Eligible Geographies:

Projects must be related to irrigation and nutrient management practices in California. 

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
October 2026
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
Closes April 27 2026

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
$700,000
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
3 – 4
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
$225,000 – $300,000
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
No
The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • Other

Funding Source Notes:

Through a mill assessment ($0.001 per dollar) on fertilizers sale, FREP has funded basic and applied research as well as education and outreach on understanding, developing, and improving best nutrient management practices for California agriculture.

The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Reimbursement(s)

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
1-916-900-5022, frep@cdfa.ca.gov

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