Published: March 11, 2008 09:59 am            

$114,000 in grants available for agricultural education

Grant applications due April 15

The Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council is accepting grant applications for the improvement of agricultural education across Minnesota. The MAELC will be awarding up to $114,000 in new grants between two separate grant programs. All grant applications are to be sent to the MAELC offices and postmarked before or on April 15.

Since its establishment, the MAELC has provided more than $1.7 million in competitive grants, scholarships, sponsored projects and awards.

Quality Program Grants are designed to help secondary, post-secondary and adult farm management programs deliver high quality agricultural education programs focused on seven National Quality Program Standards. These program standards include program design and instruction, leadership development, marketing, professional growth, experiential learning, school and community partnerships and program planning and evaluation.

Priority Issues Grants are designed to help local formal agricultural education programs focus on recruitment, transition and retention of quality students within their school district. Strategic areas of focus include Align and enhance agricultural education courses for effective integration of science, math and economics standards and principles; recruit, retain and transition instructors at the high school, post-secondary, and adult farm management levels, and initiate implementation of new or expanding agricultural education programs.

Grant applications can be obtained online at www.maelc.state.mn.us. Hard copies of the grant applications can be obtained by contacting theMAELC offices at (612) 624-6256, or e-mailing Sarah Tesmer, MAELC program associate, at tesm0010@umn.edu.

Established in 1997 by the Minnesota Legislature, the MAELC is comprised of 16 educators, legislators, government officials and agribusiness and community organization representatives. The council represents all of the major institutions and groups in Minnesota with an interest in agricultural education and serves as a focal point for initiatives to improve agricultural education in the state.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.