2026 Corn Research & Education Proposals

Through the generous support of the New York Governor, Senate, and Assembly, the New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association (NYCSGA) is pleased to announce the 2026 Corn Research and Education grant opportunity. The NYCSGA board will be accepting relevant project proposals on a rolling basis.

2026 Corn Research & Education Priorities

The following is a summary of New York’s highest priority corn-related research areas identified by the NYCSGA. We encourage you to consider this list as guidance when submitting proposals. All proposals must clearly show benefits for NY corn farmers and should advance the economic, environmental, and social impact of corn on NY farmers and their communities. Consideration should be given to the organization’s commitment to sustainability, soil health, and responsible climate initiatives.

Corn Research & Education Priorities include:

• Addressing vomitoxin concerns
• IPM in corn: research/data collection
• Development of new uses for corn or corn byproducts
• Use of biologicals in corn production
• Soil health practices and conservation systems
• Promoting the use of New York Corn
• Telling the story of New York Corn farmers

This is not an exclusive list. If you have ideas for projects not listed here, that have the potential to benefit New York corn farmers, you are invited to submit a full proposal.

Program Overview

• This is a competitive grant process.
• The grant program is dependent upon the continued availability of NYS funds.
• Awards will be between $5,000 and $20,000 per project and NYCSGA reserves the right to negotiate the award amount and scope of work with successful applicants.
• Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis.
• Funding decisions will be made quarterly at the discretion of the of the NYCSGA Board of Directors.
• All funding will be provided on a reimbursement basis with quarterly progress reports and reimbursement claims.
• 2026 projects may start as early as October 1, 2025 and must be between 6 and 12 months in duration. Final project reports and final reimbursement claims must be submitted within 60 days after project completion.
• There are no cost share, in-kind support, or matching funds requirements.
• Funds awarded to successful applicants may be used as matching funds for any non-New York State funded grant application.

Applicant Eligibility

Eligible applicants include faculty from colleges and universities, non-profit organizations, agri-businesses, cooperative extension educators, independent consultants, and farmers. Collaboration between academic institutions, non-profit organizations, businesses, and farmers is encouraged.

Applicants may represent nonprofit or for-profit sectors. Individuals with ideas are encouraged to partner with existing organizations to ensure project viability and execution.

Proposal Requirements

Projects awarded funding by NYCSGA must demonstrate a measurable benefit to New York corn farmers. Through performance targets and milestones, proposals must explicitly outline the project work plan and the key performance indicators that will be measured to document the success of the project. The evaluation section should detail what performance data will be collected, along with how the data will be collected and evaluated. 

Proposals need not be designed to produce journal publishable results but must follow appropriate scientific protocol to result in reliable and meaningful answers to high priority industry questions and needs. Research proposals should contain enough information about materials and methods in the Performance Targets, Milestones and Activities section so that reviewers can adequately evaluate the research being proposed. If on-farm field trials or other farmer engagement is part of the proposal, then please submit letters of intent to collaborate from participating farmers describing what they will do for the project.

Project Duration

While multi-year proposals may be considered, funding awards and contracts will only be made for one year at a time. Future funding for multi-year efforts will be contingent upon renewed funding from the NYS, success of the previous research or education efforts, and effectiveness of the project leader and team.

Reporting Requirements

Project leaders are required to submit quarterly reports that must be approved before reimbursements are made. A final report is due within 60 days of project completion date.

Funding Source Acknowledgement

Projects must acknowledge the New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association (NYCSGA) as the funder, or partial funder along with other funding partners, in all materials, publications, and presentations.