1890 Institution Teaching, Research, and Extension Capacity Building Grants Program
Grant Opportunity Analysis
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture, an agency within the USDA, is seeking applications for the 1890 Institution Teaching, Research, and Extension Capacity Building Grants Program. Funded projects must build institutional capacities at eligible 1890 Land-grant Universities through single-function education, research, or extension projects, or through integrated projects combining multiple functions. Programs must align with USDA research priorities across twelve target areas, including human nutrition, rural development, bioenergy, and artificial intelligence/machine learning capacity, with grant types spanning standard, collaborative, professional development, and workshop grants. Eligible applicants are limited to nineteen designated 1890 Land-grant Universities, and no matching funds are required. Applications are due by November 4, 2026, for FY 2026 funding, with a total anticipated program budget of $56,000,000 and individual award values ranging from $50,000 to $750,000.
Eligible Applicants
Applicants for the 1890 CBG Program 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. Applications may only be submitted by eligible 1890 Land-grant Universities (7 U.S.C. 3152(d)(2)). The eligible institutions are: 1. Alabama A&M University 2. Alcorn State University 3. Central State University 4. Delaware State University 5. Florida A&M University 6. Fort Valley State University 7. Kentucky State University 8. Langston University 9. Lincoln University (MO) 10. North Carolina A&T State University 11. Prairie View A&M University 12. South Carolina State University 13. Southern University and A&M College 14. Tennessee State University 15. Tuskegee University 16. University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff 17. University of Maryland-Eastern Shore 18. Virginia State University 19. West Virginia State University Faculty may not serve as PD on more than two active 1890 CBG projects. If an applicant has two active projects, at least one project must be scheduled to expire by the end of the current fiscal year. Faculty may submit multiple applications for Standard and/or Collaborative Grants as the lead PD to the 1890 CBG Program in FYs 2026 and 2027. Additionally, there is no limit on the number of grants for which faculty may be listed as co-PD or key personnel. All Collaborative or Integrated Education, Research, and Extension Projects may subcontract, as deemed appropriate, to organizations not eligible to apply, provided such organizations are necessary to conduct a successful project. The subcontract must advance capacity building at the 1890 LGU in the area of the proposed project. USDA will not accept competitive applications for grant and cooperative agreements submitted for dangerous gain-of-function research, as defined in Section 8 of E.O. 14292. Duplicate or Multiple Submissions – Submissions of duplicate or predominantly overlapping projects are not allowed. An eligible applicant may submit multiple applications on behalf of the institution whereas they are not essentially duplications of the same project or portions of the same project to multiple programs.