Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Education and Workforce Development
Grant Opportunity Analysis
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is offering the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Competitive Grants Program focused on Education and Workforce Development (EWD) for Fiscal Year 2026, with an anticipated funding pool of $39.7 million. This program aims to enhance the next generation of professionals in food and agricultural sciences through various initiatives, including professional development for K-14 educators, agricultural workforce training at community colleges, and fellowships for predoctoral and postdoctoral candidates. The program emphasizes addressing agricultural challenges and integrating emerging technologies, with a new requirement for a Mentoring Plan for most applications. Interested applicants should note that key deadlines for submissions vary, with most applications due by March 19, 2026, and fellowship applications due on April 16 or 30, 2026. For further inquiries, applicants can contact NIFA at grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov.
Eligible Applicants
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.