The purpose of this Fund is to honor Dan Gillespie, a life-long farmer and a long-time no-till farming practitioner/advocate who is known locally as “Dan, the Tree Man” by making grants to support the following charitable causes and/or charitable organizations:
Education and educational practices related to soil health and regenerative agriculture, including but not limited to no-till farming, water conservation, tree conservation, and planting cover crops. Grants from this Fund may support educational events and programming for youth, current farmers and ranchers, and others involved in agriculture. The geographic focus of the Fund is Nebraska and surrounding states.
Anonymous Challenge Doubles Your Contributions!
For a limited time, your contributions to the Dan Gillespie Soil Health Fund will have twice the impact thanks to a challenge grant issued by a generous anonymous donor who believes deeply in the work of the Dan Gillespie Soil Health Fund.
Every dollar donated will be matched up to $2,500, resulting in a $5,000 increase to the fund to further our work! Click DONATE TO THIS FUND above to maximize your giving!
Apply for a Grant
The Dan Gillespie Soil Health Fund makes grants to support charitable causes and/or charitable organizations that are furthering education and educational practices related to soil health and regenerative agriculture, including but not limited to no-till farming, water conservation, tree conservation, and planting cover crops.
Examples of grantworthy projects/programs include (but are not limited to):
- Educational events and programming related to soil health and regenerative agriculture for youth, current farmers, ranchers, and others involved in agriculture
- Training activity expense reimbursement for farmers who want to learn how to better steward their land
- On-farm (or-ranch) research projects that seek to quantifiably improve soil health practices. No-till on the Plains (NTOP) has volunteered to help farmers receive awarded funds (as an eligible 501c3) and pass the award to the farmer recipient upon completion of an eligible research project.
Grant awards up to $1500 will be determined by the Dan Gillespie Soil Health Fund Advisory Committee, a group of volunteers committed to furthering the work of the fund.
Meet Our Fund Advisory Committee
Randy Pryor, Chair | UNL Emeritus Extension Educator
Rebecca Evert | Family representative
Tim Gillespie | Family representative
Keith Berns | Owner of Green Cover (Bladen, NE)
Craig Derickson | Retired NE NRCS State Conservationist
John Wilson | UNL Emeritus Extension Educator
Gary Lesoing | Former Extension Educator
GRANTMAKING
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- Battle Creek High School FFA | Cover crop effectiveness on preventing soil erosion and infiltration
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- City Sprouts | Soil health research project for urban students with interests in agricultural careers
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- University of Nebraska-Lincoln/Nebraska Extension | Increasing awareness of soil health through county-based educational programing
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- Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District: Central Nebraska Regenerative Agriculture Conference