Smith-Lever Special Needs Competitive Grants Program
Grant Opportunity Analysis
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture is offering the Smith-Lever Special Needs Competitive Grants Program to support education-based projects that help communities prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate disasters and disaster threats. The program funds innovative work by 1862 Land-grant Institutions and allows projects that address one or more of five topical areas, using strategies such as program development, training, communications, disaster planning, or professional development and capacity building. Projects must align with USDA Secretary’s Memorandum 1078-020 priorities, and a 100% non-federal match is required, though reduced matching or waivers may apply for certain institutions and U.S. territories. Applications are due June 1, 2026, with approximately $459,564 available in total funding and awards ranging from $20,000 to $115,000; application questions may be sent to grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov.
Eligible Applicants
Applications may only be submitted by 1862 Land-grant Institutions in the 50 states and the U.S. territories, American Samoa, Guam, Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.An eligible individual institution, independent branch campus, or branch institution of a State system may submit a grant application for project activities to be undertaken principally on behalf of its own students or faculty, and to be managed primarily by its own personnel. The applicant executes the project without the requirement of sharing grant funds with other project partners.Award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply, provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project. The 1862 Land-grant Institutions may partner with each other as well as with other Land-grant Institutions (e.g., 1890s and 1994s), non-Land-grant Institutions, and non-governmental organizations within their state or their region on joint proposals.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.