Letter of Intent Deadline: July 13, 2026
Application Deadline: August 17, 2026
Earliest project start date: October 1, 2026
Purpose
The Emerging Issues Program (EIP) of the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS) supports emerging health and safety concerns of children working on, living in, or visiting agricultural environments. In particular, the program prioritizes rapid responses to new or unresolved/complex problems, especially those which: reduce and prevent youth exposures and hazards on the farm, increase safety culture, and widely disseminate best practices and other information for use by families and employers.
Focus
The goal of the EIP is to document, intervene, and otherwise explore challenges that are impacting the health and safety of children (under age 18) in and around agricultural settings and for which limited knowledge is currently available. The EIP seeks a broad range of possible topics. Emerging issues impacting the health and safety of children in agriculture include, but are not limited to: youth mental health, lifetime illness, artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture, automation and other technology advancements, and best-practices pertaining to youth, and the health and well-being of youth living and/or working in agricultural environments. Preference will also be given to proposals which leverage existing NCCRAHS resources or materials (e.g., National Action Plan, AgInjuryNews, Youth Work Guidelines, Agritourism safety materials, Child Ag Safety & Health Workshops) and/or networks (e.g., Child Agricultural Safety Network).
Applicants may request up to $45,000 for research studies and up to $17,000 for non-research or outreach projects. The amount of available project funding is dependent on submissions from eligible applicants. Example projects are small pilot studies for data collection, a “think tank” session to deepen our understanding of an emerging issue, and consensus-development strategies with multiple stakeholders. The project proposal should include an explanation of Burden, Need, and Impact.[1] Projects should respond to a clear burden, fill a specific emerging need, and have the potential for measurable impacts and outputs.
Eligibility for Project Support
Community-based organizations, public or private institutions, units of local or state government, or tribal government throughout the United States are eligible to apply for funds. No foreign components are permitted.2 Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with NIOSH Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health3 or universities on project design and evaluation, when reasonable and applicable.
Restrictions
- Projects not specific to children and agriculture will not be funded
- Projects limited to education programs targeting only children will not be funded
*Note: the terms “Child”, “Children”, and “Childhood” refers to persons aged <18 years.
Application Process
Letter of Intent
Applicants must initially submit a one-page Letter of Intent by July 13 that includes the project goals, objectives, and key personnel. If the project concept is deemed to have merit, the applicant will be invited to submit a full proposal. Send letters of intent to: nccrahs@sanfordhealth.org
Full Proposal
Full proposals must include all sections noted in table below and will be due August 17. Applicants unfamiliar with CDC/NIH style applications but with high potential for success may be partnered with an NCCRAHS faculty member as they formulate their program plan. Applications exceeding page limits will not be accepted for review. Reviews may also be expedited if the emerging issue demands more immediate attention.
|
Application item |
Length |
Comment |
|
A. Contact Information Form |
1 page |
Download from website at this link: |
|
B. Project Goal |
Maximum of 4 pages total for sections B thru G
requesting ≤ $17,000) |
Concise statement of project goal / outcomes / deliverables |
|
C. Background and Significance |
Describe specific national priority area(s) addressed. If relevant, include local needs assessment or other formative research. |
|
|
D. Project Design / Methods |
Planned design and methods |
|
|
E. Evaluation |
See “Evaluation” below |
|
|
F. Implications for future studies/programs |
Include potential for future research, continued funding, or spin-off programs |
|
|
G. Timeline |
Project timeline limited to 12 months |
|
|
H. References |
|
References are not included in the page limit for sections B thru G. |
|
I. Budget and Budget Justification |
1 page plus indirect agreement (if needed) |
See “Budget” below |
|
J. Biosketch or CV |
3 pages each |
Biosketch is required for Principal Investigator and key personnel; narrative, summary, or NIH style biosketch is acceptable |
|
K. Appendices |
5 pages total |
Only highly relevant materials should be included in appendices |
Format
Font: Arial 11 pt. Margins: 1 inch. Single-spaced. All pages must be numbered.
Evaluation
Applicants should describe their expectations to evaluate success. That is, how will the grant recipient and NCCRAHS know if the desired objectives for the grant were achieved? Describe measurable outcomes such as number of participants interviewed, agents of influence trained, self-reported changes in behavior, or peer-reviewed papers published.
Budget
Applicants may request up to $45,000 for research studies and up to $17,000 for non-research projects in total costs. The budget must indicate the requested amount and justification for each category (i.e., personnel, travel, supplies, and consultants). Institutional indirect costs may be included as part of the total budget as a separate line item. Reviewers may acknowledge the level of impact on scientific knowledge and/or community betterment possible within a proposed budget. It is the responsibility of the applicant to determine indirect cost rate with his/her institution. Your institution’s indirect cost agreement must be included with your application if the budget includes this line item.
Completed Proposals
Send your completed proposal via email to: nccrahs@sanfordhealth.org
Review Criteria
Proposals will be peer-reviewed using the following criteria: a) alignment with the purpose of NCCRAHS EIP b) eligibility requirements, c) priority topics outlined in the RFA, d) adequacy of project design and methods, e) strength of evaluation, and f) likelihood of expanding our knowledge base on a complex and/or emerging issue affecting childhood agricultural health and/or safety.
Funding & Timeline
Letters of intent are due July 13 at 12:00pm noon (CST). Invitations for full applications will be sent by July 17. Full applications are due August 17. Only one applicant per organization will be awarded in a fiscal year. The EIP Director, Bryan Weichelt, PhD, or designee will notify applicants of award decision by August 24. Awardees must have an active SAM.gov ID registration prior to release of funds. All funds must be expended by September 29, 2027. Extension of project beyond the deadline will not be approved. NCCRAHS will request a 6-month interim report, and final reports for all projects are due one month after the projects concludes.
Acknowledgment Requirements:
All presentations, posters, and publications resulting from NCCRAHS funding must acknowledge NCCRAHS and the NIOSH grant and use the NCCRAHS logo when appropriate (please contact NCCRAHS for logo files). Please state: "This [presentation/work/research/product] was supported by the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety through the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Cooperative Agreement U54 OH009568. Its content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of CDC/NIOSH.”
Questions
For questions, please see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
For programmatic questions (priority topics, fundable ideas, potential collaborators), please contact Bryan Weichelt, PhD or Roger Guy Aby, PhD
Email bryan.weichelt@sanfordhealth.org or roger.aby@sanfordhealth.org
Phone: 1-800-662-6900
For funding process questions (e.g., budgets), or if you have questions not answered by the FAQ page, contact: NCCRAHS Administrator, Kathie Smith.
Email: kathleen.smith2@sanfordhealth.org
Phone: 1-800-662-6900
Frequently Asked Questions (View PDF)
1 Felknor SA, Schulte PA, Schnorr TM, Pana-Cryan R, Howard J. Burden, Need and Impact: An Evidence-Based Method to Identify Worker Safety and Health Research Priorities. Ann Work Expo Health. 2019;63(4):375-385. doi:10.1093/annweh/wxz011
2 NIH. Definition of Foreign Components. Available at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-26-084.html
3 CDC. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Centers for Agricultural Safety and Health. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/oep/agctrhom.html
Special Project and Pilot Study Funds (Mini-grant Program) 2002-2019
The purpose of the “Mini-grant” program (Emerging Issues Grants) of the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety was to support small-scale projects and pilot studies that addressed prevention of childhood agricultural disease and injury. From 2002 through 2019, more than 60 projects were funded up to $20,000 each. Individuals affiliated with community-based organizations, public or private institutions, units of local or state government, or tribal government throughout the United States were eligible to apply for funds. Priority was given to organizations and junior faculty who were building their capacity in childhood agricultural health and safety, and projects that generated new partnerships.
Recently Funded Projects 2022-Current
Recently funded "Emerging Issues" research projects can be reviewed at this link.