Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Education and Workforce Development Program | USDA NIFA AFRI 008121

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA AFRI 008121

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Education and Workforce Development (EWD) Program is a discretionary grant opportunity run by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under CFDA 10.310. Its central purpose is to strengthen the talent pipeline in the food and agricultural sciences by preparing the next generation of research, education, and extension professionals. In practical terms, the program is geared toward projects that train people, build skills, and expand the capacity of institutions and communities to meet current and emerging workforce needs across agriculture, food systems, and related sciences.

For the FY 2020 cycle referenced in the notice, EWD invites applications across five core areas. These include professional development activities aimed at agricultural literacy, training opportunities for undergraduate students (with a focus on research and extension experiences), fellowship support for predoctoral candidates, fellowship support for postdoctoral scholars, and a newer focus area centered on agricultural workforce training. Each of these areas is meant to address a different stage of the career pathway, from early exposure and skill building to advanced, specialized training that helps researchers and educators transition into impactful careers. Applicants are expected to follow the EWD Request for Applications (RFA) for the specific priorities, required components, and deadlines tied to each track.

Eligibility is a major compliance point and is tied directly to the type of project being proposed. For single-function projects (research-only, education-only, or extension-only), the eligible applicant pool is broad. It includes State Agricultural Experiment Stations; colleges and universities (including junior colleges that offer associate degrees or higher); university research foundations; other research institutions and organizations; Federal agencies; national laboratories; private organizations or corporations; and even individuals, as long as they are U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents. Teams or consortia made up of two or more of these eligible entity types can also apply. A key limitation is that foreign and international organizations are not considered eligible institutions for these single-function submissions.

Integrated projects, which combine two or more of the functions (research, education, and/or extension) into a single coordinated effort, have narrower eligibility requirements. Eligible applicants for integrated projects include colleges and universities, 1994 Land-Grant Institutions, and Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities. The notice also clarifies what counts as an eligible "college" or "university" for this purpose: the institution must admit students with a secondary school completion credential (or equivalent), be legally authorized by the state to provide education beyond high school, award bachelors degrees or higher, operate as a public or other nonprofit institution, and hold accreditation from a nationally recognized accrediting body. A research foundation maintained by a college or university is also eligible to receive an award, which matters for institutions that route grant administration through affiliated foundations.

In addition to the main project types, the opportunity references Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) Grants, which are mechanisms within AFRI that support specific categories such as New Investigator awards, Strengthening Standard grants, Strengthening Conference grants, Seed grants, Equipment grants, and Sabbatical grants. The detailed eligibility and requirements for FASE are contained in a separate section of the RFA (Part II, C(2)), and applicants must align with the program area priorities and due dates described elsewhere in the RFA (Part I, C). Another important operational detail is that award recipients may subcontract with organizations that are not themselves eligible to apply, as long as those partners are necessary to carry out the proposed work.

Administratively, the funding opportunity is listed as USDA NIFA AFRI 008121, with an original closing date of July 1, 2021, and an award ceiling of up to $1,000,000. The overarching message of the announcement is that eligibility must be met by the application deadline; missing an eligibility requirement can lead to an application being excluded from consideration or prevent NIFA from issuing an award even if the proposal is reviewed.

• The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Education and Workforce Development Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2021-01-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-07-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA NIFA AFRI 008121

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