George Szczepanski, who replaced Bob Morrissey as the Executive Director of the National Watermelon Association in January 2023, reached out to the watermelon research community to announced that although there has been a staff leadership change, the National Watermelon Association’s commitment to funding research that supports watermelon farmers, including through pest and disease risk mitigation will not change.
The research we fund will be entirely focused on production research, looking to solve issues that our member farmers face on a regional or national basis. Consumer focused research, like those focused on human health outcomes from consumption, market research, and other supply chain research are not part of this grant program.
Grant funding request for proposals
Timeline:
June: RFP issued to watermelon research community
August 31: Proposals DUE to NWA
September: Proposals shared with NWA Research Committee
October: NWA Executive Committee determines grant awards based on committee recommendations
November: Grant award winners announced
Priority Areas
Our highest priorities for research are:
- Fusarium wilt
- Phytophthora capsici
Other concerns include:
- Anthracnose
- Downy Mildew
- Cucumber Beetle
- Spider Mite
Submission Requirements
Each proposal should include:
- Cover letter- including a brief review of the proposal and request for funding
- Details of the project- including the objectives/goals for the project
- Timeline – including
a. Start and end dates
b. Dates for project reports that will be submitted to the Association
c. Date that the Association will receive a final report with results
Note: Multi-year projects will be considered, but funding will only cover a single year. - Amount of money requested (for 2024 only)
- A listing of all parties involved with the project, including Lead Investigator and any other researchers. If multiple research facilities are involved, provide contact information for each, and information on fund distribution where applicable.
- Addendum- a single page layman’s brief on what the project is designed to accomplish
- Submit the proposal by email to george@nwawatermelon.com in a Word or PDF format by August 31, 2023.
Additional Recommendations
- Additional consideration will be given to a proposal that has ‘matching’ funds, which will allow
the investigator(s) the opportunity to expand the research beyond our budget capacity. - There is no limit (minimum or maximum) that a proposal may request. However, previous NWA
grant awards typically range from $5,000-$25,000. - Our focus is to search for more immediate solutions to the most pressing pest & disease
pressures – the biggest threats to yield, quality, profitability and sustainability. - Questions on the process should be sent by email to george@nwawatermelon.com
Additional requirements
Grant awardees will be asked to provide a 250 word layman’s brief of project accomplishments for publication in NWA’s quarterly magazine, the Vineline, for distribution electronically to NWA membership and the broader public. One or two pictures to go with the summary of accomplishments are encouraged.
