The Niamh Shortt Memorial Education Fund was established in 2022, in partnership with Niamh’s family, friends, and colleagues.
This fund offers small grants directly to farmers to increase access to critical hands-on educational experiences. The fund aims to foster the growth of practical skill-sets and networking of Chesapeake farmers. Applicants may apply for funds for Future Harvest events, like our annual conference, tractor intensives, or field days, but may also apply for funding to other outside educational and hands-on training experiences.
Applications for round 1 are due Wednesday December 14, 2022 at 11:59 pm EST. A committee will review applications and announce the first round of awards the following week. Additional application cycles may open throughout the year depending on funding availability. If you’d like to stay informed, please subscribe to our newsletter.
Niamh Michelle Shortt
Niamh was a woman who bravely followed her passions in life. Anyone who had the privilege of interacting with Niamh, in her role as Future Harvest’s Field School Director, was better for it — because foremost in her mind was to listen and translate what she learned into meaningful action. Niamh had a gift for connecting with people and creating community, in part because she cared so deeply about building a vibrant, sustainable and just food system, and in part because it was simply in her nature to bring beautiful ideas to life. In everything she did, she expressed her commitment to farmers and her determination that they receive the support they need. No matter where she was, Niamh was witty, smart, open minded, observant, and wildly inquisitive.
We seek opportunities to honor Niamh and share our favorite memories of her during our annual conference, please stay tuned for further details.