For Students
Student Grants
Grant Application Process
BFI reviews each grant application with a formal rubric based on the following categories:
- Project clarity
- Alignment with BFI mission areas
- Budget and timeline
After grant application submission, applicants will receive award status updates by Friday, November 6th.
Funding opportunities
BFI provides grants of up to $3,000 to support student-led food and farm systems research in collaboration with faculty and/or cooperative extension specialists at UC Berkeley.
Apply Here (You will need to use your berkeley.edu accounts to log in and apply)
Grant timeline and requirements:
- Grants should be spent within the academic school year awarded.
- Applications for the 2026-2027 academic year will be due on October 30th 2026
- Applicants will be notified of their awards and next steps via the email provided.
- You will be required to sign the MOU before we can deposit your grant award into your CalCentral account.
- Awardees must attend a Zoom meeting in November 2026 where the requirements for accessing the funds will be outlined. Communicate with the grant manager about special circumstances if you’re unable to attend this meeting.
- Awardees must be able to present their research conducted thus far at BFI’s spring student research presentation at the end of spring semester, hosted in-person and on Zoom.
Who can apply: Undergraduate and graduate students at UC Berkeley may apply for funding. Proposals that support an undergraduate thesis or graduate dissertation research are strongly encouraged.
To be eligible, students are required to be:
- Registered for the year in which the funds are used
- In good academic standing
- Working with a UC Berkeley faculty member or cooperative extension on their research
What we fund:
We support UC Berkeley student research that contributes to the following BFI focus areas: Urban and Rural Agroecology, Racial Equity, Good Food Access and Fair and Healthy Jobs. Grants can fund the following activities:
- Venue fees for hosting events, workshops or focus groups.
- Honoraria for research interviewees and community participants.
- Conference attendance fees. If you’re using the funds to attend a conference, you must be presenting a paper or poster at the conference.
- Travel to conferences or research locations (including airfare, mileage and hotel).
- Supplies and materials needed for conducting your research.
- Other items may be considered on an as-needed basis and within reason and in compliance with University funding restrictions.
If you have questions about whether your project qualifies, please reach out to BFI Education Program Director Jezra Thompson at jezrathompson@berkeley.edu.