Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Education and Workforce Development

The summary for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Education and Workforce Development grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Education and Workforce Development: The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Education and Workforce Development (EWD) focuses on developing the next generation of research, education, and extension professionals in the food and agricultural sciences. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) requests applications for the AFRI’s Education and Workforce Development program areas to support: 1. professional development opportunities for K-14 educational professionals; 2. non-formal education that cultivates food and agricultural interest in youth; 3. workforce training at community, junior, and technical colleges; 4. training of undergraduate students in research and extension; 5. fellowships for predoctoral candidates; 6. fellowships for postdoctoral scholars; and 7. education and workforce development workshop grants.

Federal Grant Title:	Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Education and Workforce Development
Federal Agency Name:	National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA)
Grant Categories:	Agriculture
Type of Opportunity:	Discretionary
Funding Opportunity Number:	USDA-NIFA-AFRI-011596
Type of Funding:	Grant
CFDA Numbers:	10.310
CFDA Descriptions:	Information not provided
Current Application Deadline:	December 31st, 2026
Original Application Deadline:	December 31st, 2026
Posted Date:	January 20th, 2026
Creation Date:	January 20th, 2026
Archive Date:	January 30th, 2027
Total Program Funding:	$39,700,000
Maximum Federal Grant Award:	$650,000
Minimum Federal Grant Award:	$10,000
Expected Number of Awards:	245
Cost Sharing or Matching:	Yes
Last Updated:	January 20th, 2026

Applicants Eligible for this Grant: Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification.)
Additional Information on Eligibility: Eligibility RequirementsApplicants for AFRI must meet all the requirements discussed in this NOFO. Failure to meet the eligibility criteria by the application deadline may result in exclusion from consideration or preclude NIFA from making an award. For those new to Federal financial assistance, NIFA’s About Grants provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process.Eligibility is linked to the project type as specified below.1. Research, Education, or Extension ProjectsEligible applicants for single-function Research, Education or Extension Projects include:a) State Agricultural Experiment Station;b) colleges and universities (including junior colleges offering associate degrees or higher);c) university research foundations;d) other research institutions and organizations;e) Federal agencies;f) national laboratories;g) private organizations or corporations;h) individuals who are U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents; andi) any group consisting of two or more entities identified in a) through h).Eligible institutions do not include foreign and international organizations.2. Integrated ProjectsEligible applicants for Integrated Projects include: a) colleges and universities;b) 1994 Land-Grant Institutions; andc) Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities (see NIFA’s Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities page).For item a) under Integrated Projects, the terms “college” and “university” mean an educational institution in any state which: a) admits as regular students only persons having a certificate of graduation from a school providing secondary education, or the recognized equivalent of such a certificate; b) is legally authorized within such state to provide a program of education beyond secondary education; c) provides an educational program for which a bachelor’s degree or any other higher degree is awarded; d) is a public or other nonprofit institution; and e) is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association. A research foundation maintained by a college or university is eligible to receive an award under this program.3. Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement GrantsPart II, C.2 contains the eligibility details for Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) Grants. Note that under FASE opportunity, only Strengthening Standard, Predoctoral Fellowship Grants, Postdoctoral Fellowship Grants, and Strengthening Workshop are solicited in this NOFO.Applicants must respond to the Program Area Priorities and deadlines found in Part I, C. Grant recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project. Failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the application deadline may result in the application being excluded from consideration or, even though an application may be reviewed, will preclude NIFA from making an award (see Part III, B).USDA will not accept competitive applications for grants and cooperative agreements submitted for due dates after June 20, 2025, and/or research and development (R&D) contract proposals submitted to solicitations issued after June 20, 2025, for dangerous gain-of-function research, as defined in Section 8 of E.O. 14292.
Link to Full Grant Announcement: Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Education and Workforce Development
Grant Announcement Contact: NIFA Support Email [email protected]
Business hours: Monday thru Friday, 7a.m. – 5p.m. ET, except federal holidays
If you have questions about preparing application content, contact [email protected]
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