Swine Education & Outreach Grant Program

Length: one page max, single-spaced

Decision makers (including pork producers and subject matter experts on the appropriate task force/work group) will review the summary to judge the proposal and assign industry priority.

The summary should answer the following four questions.

1. Describe the objectives of the proposed Swine Education and/or Outreach project.

• What deliverables will this project provide to the industry?
• List or describe the intended outcomes of the project.
• What metrics will be used to define success? Explain any measurables (key performance indicators, milestones, completed plans, enrollments, etc.)

2. Describe how the proposed project aligns with at least one of the National Pork Board’s priorities:

• Swine Health
• Permission to Operate

3. Describe any multi-state, multi-institutional, and/or multi-partner components associated with this proposal.

4. Describe why U.S. pork producers should fund this proposal.

• For example, how does this proposal benefit the industry? How does it improve the competitive advantage of the U.S. pork industry? What other descriptions or reasons are there for pork producers to highly prioritize this project?

Funding Scope & Guidelines

• Target Range: Proposals should generally target a budget of less than $100,000.
• Budget Integrity: Lower budget requests are entirely acceptable and appropriate if the project scope requires less funding.
• Costs for project overhead or other indirect costs are not covered by Pork Checkoff funds.

Format Requirements

• Length: Two pages maximum.
• Spacing: Single space required.
• Template: Please create a project budget using the provided template.
• Columns: The budget must be indicated in a 3-column format that itemizes costs for:
  • The National Pork Board
  • The University
  • The sum of both
• External Funding: Any other funding requested or anticipated in support of this project must be indicated in an additional budget column.

Allowable & Unallowable Costs

• Overhead: Approved costs for project overhead and indirect costs are not typically covered by Pork Checkoff funds.
• Staff Support: Graduate student support, student/other hourly labor, and post-doctoral support are allowed.
• Principal Investigator (PI): Partial support for a PI on less than a 12-month salaried appointment is allowed only if a detailed budget narrative addresses the amount of requested support in relation to the PI’s project time commitment to justify the expense.
• Equipment: Disposable equipment (e.g., test tubes, supplies) is allowed.
  • Capital equipment is not allowed unless it is explained in the proposal, included in the budget, and approved in advance by the Board.

Length: one page maximum

Include previous related work in this area or a closely related field by the principal investigator (not more than five citations).

Length: one page maximum

Clearly explain the objectives to be addressed by the proposed project. List multiple objectives separately.

Length: one page maximum

Include the details of the proposed effort.

Length: one page maximum

Include a schedule for the proposed project.

Length: one page maximum

Describe the value of the proposed project to the swine industry and its relevance to producer priorities.

Length: check the box on the proposal application cover page and include the appropriate contact information. 

Most institutions require approval of proposals before submission.

Please indicate this step has been completed by checking the box on the proposal application. Also supply the names, titles, e-mail addresses and phone numbers of the personnel from the grants office, college and department who have approved your proposal for submission.

Proposals may be rejected if this step is not completed.

Length: one page maximum

Include a brief description of the plan to disseminate project outcomes and successful results to appropriate audiences and/or suggested methods for replication in additional states or regions.

Length: One page max for each letter

Include letters of cooperation from project co-investigators and other collaborators. Letters of support from industry, state pork associations or others are also encouraged.

Length: One page max for each individual

Include curriculum vitae for the primary investigator and each co-investigator.