The National Grape Research Alliance launched a campaign to encourage donations this month as part of the Giving Tuesday effort that follows the Thanksgiving holiday and its subsequent shopping binges.

Traditionally funded by industry members, the nonprofit organization hopes the campaign will broaden its base of support and build awareness of the alliance’s work at a time when federal funding for research has been cut and questioned. 

“It helps us show support for part of the industry that is less visible,” said Donnell Brown, NGRA president. “People see the public policy and the marketing and the regulations, but very few people understand the research landscape behind the industry and how we try to keep the industry growing and thriving into the future.”

The alliance works through creating a forum for the table, raisin, juice and wine grape industries to set collective research prioritizes. In addition, it organizes researchers to develop project proposals, advocates for research funding and develops education and outreach programming. 

Recent NGRA-backed projects include Efficient Vineyard and HiRes Vineyard Nutrition, two complex, multistate projects funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative fund. 

While the cuts to federal research funds have made headlines, there is still valuable research underway, Brown said. On its website, NGRA recently began publishing a spreadsheet of current grape research projects conducted around the U.S. 

“There’s the perception that nothing has been funded, but that’s not true. There is still research going on,” she said. “We’re doing our best to provide some transparency.” 

NGRA also launched an extension agent directory on its website this year, so that it can help connect industry members with experts.

“I wouldn’t call it a pivot to extension and outreach, but it’s moved to the forefront as we’ve watched federal funding for research languish,” Brown said. 

For more information, visit: graperesearch.org.