Rural Cooperative Development Grants
Grant Opportunity Analysis
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture, an agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, is seeking applications for the Fiscal Year 2026 Rural Cooperative Development Grants program. Funded recipients will establish and operate Centers for Rural Cooperative Development that provide technical assistance to start, expand, or improve cooperatives and mutually owned businesses in rural areas. Eligible nonprofit institutions and accredited higher education facilities must align their projects with agency priorities like increasing farmer profitability and must provide a 25 percent cost-sharing match, which is reduced to 5 percent for 1994 Land-Grant Institutions. The program features an estimated total funding pool of $5,000,000 to support approximately 12 awards ranging from $200,000 to $1,000,000, and applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov by 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time on July 24, 2026.
Eligible Applicants
Applications will only be accepted from nonprofit institutions. A “nonprofit institution” is defined as any organization or institution, including an accredited institution of higher education, no part of the net earnings of which inures, or may lawfully inure, to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements in 7 CFR 4284.520(a). Applicants are ineligible for assistance through this program if one or more of the items defined in 7 CFR 4284.520(b) occurs.