Higher Education Challenge Grants Program

The summary for the Higher Education Challenge Grants Program 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.

Higher Education Challenge Grants Program: Projects supported by the Higher Education Challenge Grants Program will: (1) address a state, regional, national, or international educational need; (2) involve a creative or non-traditional approach toward addressing that need that can serve as a model to others; (3) encourage and facilitate better working relationships in the university science and education community, as well as between universities and the private sector, to enhance program quality and supplement available resources; and (4) result in benefits that will likely transcend the project duration and USDA support.

Federal Grant Title:	Higher Education Challenge Grants Program
Federal Agency Name:	National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA)
Grant Categories:	Agriculture
Type of Opportunity:	Discretionary
Funding Opportunity Number:	USDA-NIFA-CGP-011315
Type of Funding:	Grant
CFDA Numbers:	10.217
CFDA Descriptions:	Information not provided
Current Application Deadline:	March 11th, 2025
Original Application Deadline:	March 11th, 2025
Posted Date:	January 17th, 2025
Creation Date:	January 17th, 2025
Archive Date:	April 10th, 2025
Total Program Funding:	$5,061,425
Maximum Federal Grant Award:	$750,000
Minimum Federal Grant Award:	$30,000
Expected Number of Awards:	18
Cost Sharing or Matching:	No
Last Updated:	January 17th, 2025

Applicants Eligible for this Grant: Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification.)
Additional Information on Eligibility: Eligibility Requirements Applicants for the Higher Education Challenge Grants Program (HEC) must meet all the requirements discussed in this RFA. 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. Applications may be submitted by: 1. U.S. public or private nonprofit colleges and universities offering a baccalaureate or first professional degree in at least one discipline or area of the food and agricultural sciences (as defined in 7 CFR 3430.2); 2. Land-grant colleges and universities, (including Land-grant institutions in the Insular Areas); 3. colleges and universities having significant minority enrollments and a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food and agricultural sciences; and 4. other colleges and universities having a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food and agricultural sciences. An applicant also must meet the definition of an eligible institution/organization as stated in this RFA (see Appendix III). For the purposes of this program, the individual branches of a state university or other system of higher education that are separately accredited as degree-granting institutions are treated as separate institutions and are therefore eligible for HEC awards. Separate branches or campuses of a college or university that are not individually accredited as degree-granting institutions are not treated as separate institutions. An institution eligible to receive an award under this program includes a research foundation maintained by an eligible college or university. Accreditation must be by an agency or association recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. United States citizenship is not required of faculty that wish to serve as PD, co-PD, or key personnel on a HEC grant. Any individual (eligible participant) receiving Federal funds (for developmental activities) must be a citizen or national of the United States, as defined in this RFA (see Appendix III). Failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the time of 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. The following applies to CG1 and CG2 applicants only: The applicant institution must meet the definition of “eligible institution” as specified in 7 CFR §3405.2(i); the other institutions participating in a CG1 and CG2 project proposals are not required to meet the definition of “eligible institution” as specified in 7 CFR §3405.2(i), nor required to meet the definition of “college” or “university” as specified in 7 CFR §3405.2(f).
Link to Full Grant Announcement: Higher Education Challenge Grants Program
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]
Similar Government Grants: • Higher Education Challenge (HEC) Grants Program; • Higher Education Challenge Grant; • Higher Education Challenge (HEC) Grants Program
More Grants from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture: • Methyl Bromide Transition Program; • Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative; • Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program; • Distance Education Grants Program for Institutions of Higher Education in Insular Areas; • Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Education Competitive Grant...