SEEAG Receives $135,000 Funding From Uplift Central Coast

SEEAG recently received a $135,000 grant from Uplift Central Coast. The funds will go towards expanding SEEAG’s STEM Career Pathways in Agriculture program in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Uplift Central Coast is part of California Jobs First, a new state council introduced last year to award grants to organizations that prepare students and workers for high-paying careers.
 
The funds will enable SEEAG to provide 1,000 high school students with SEEAG’s three-part STEM career exploration program. Students who take part in STEM Career Pathways in Agriculture are introduced to agricultural career options, experience real-world career exposure during farm field trips, connect with industry professionals and learn about educational pathways to pursue their future in agriculture.
 
“We are grateful to have an incredible group of program partners who have helped guide this reimagined and expanded initiative, and with Uplift's support, we are enthusiastic about the impact this will have on students and our communities,” says Caitlin Paulus-Case, SEEAG executive director.
 
SEEAG was one of 36 applicants selected to receive the grants out of 136 applicants. A total of $9 million was distributed. Recipients are in six Central Coast counties: San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Benito, Santa Cruz and Monterey. Uplift Central Coast’s goal is to see all funds successfully invested by the summer of 2026.
 
For more about SEEAG’s STEM Career Pathways in Agriculture program, go to https://www.seeag.org/stem-career-pathways-in-ag.

About SEEAG
Founded in 2008, Students for Eco-Education and Agriculture (SEEAG) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that aims to help young students understand the origins of their food by bridging the gap between agriculture and consumption through its agricultural education programming. SEEAG’s “The Farm Lab” program teaches schoolchildren about the origins of their food and the importance of local farmland by providing schools with classroom agricultural education and free field trips to farms. Through this and other SEEAG programs, over 100,000 elementary school students in Central and Southern California have increased their understanding of the food journey. For more information, visit www.seeag.org or email Caitlin Paulus-Case, caitlin@seeag.org.