Western IPM Center Begins Second Decade of Grantmaking with $300,000 in New Grants

To help address important pest issues in Western agriculture, communities and natural areas, the Western Integrated Pest Management Center is making $300,000 in grants available to individuals and organizations developing IPM resources.

The request for applications was posted today on the Center’s website at westernipm.org. Proposals will be accepted until 5 p.m. December 3.

“Over the past decade, Western IPM Center grants have provided critical support for IPM researchers, extension specialists, commodity organizations and non-profits seeking to reduce risks from pests and pest-management practices,” said Center Director Jim Farrar. “Our grants have leveraged millions in additional funding for recipients, and helped develop new pest-management resources that protect the economy, people and environment in the West.”

Applicants eligible to apply include private individuals and institutions, businesses, commodity organizations, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and faculty and staff of four-year universities.

“It’s important that people know these grants aren’t just for university-based researchers,” Farrar said. “Commodity groups, non-profit agencies and tribal groups have all received grants in recent years, and have a valuable role to play in developing and promoting sustainable, IPM-based pest management.”

Geographically, an applicant’s primary project director must be in the Western Region, but collaborators may be from outside the region.  The Western Region is Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

This year, grant dollars are available in four categories:

• Project Initiation Grants, which begin new IPM research; $30,000 maximum
• Work Group Grants, which bring collaborators together; $30,000 maximum
• Outreach and Implementation Grants, which directly promote IPM adoption; $30,000 maximum
• IPM Planning Documents, which create crop profiles and pest management strategic plans; $15,000 maximum

“The Western IPM Center encourages proposals from multi-discipline, multi-state teams, so there is a great opportunity for commodity organizations and others to participate,” Farrar said. “Collaboration is an asset, and stakeholder involvement is critical.”

Both the grants and Center’s priorities are described in detail on Center’s new website at www.westernipm.org.

The Western IPM Center promotes IPM development, adoption and evaluation and has directly funded more than $2 million for IPM projects since 2005. Integrated pest management is a science-based approach to pest management to reduce risks to people and the environment by using pest biology, environmental information and all available technology to reduce pest damage to acceptable levels by the most economical means.

The Western Integrated Pest Management Center is one of four regional centers funded by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and serves 13 Western states and the Pacific island territories. 

The 2015 Western IPM Center Competitive Grants Request for Applications can be downloaded at www.westernipm.org