Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Foundational and Applied Science Program

Opportunity details

Agency

National Institute of FOOD and Agriculture

Notice type

Federal Grant

Original posted

August 1, 2025

Last updated

November 2, 2026

Notice ID

grant-360205

Summary

The AFRI Foundational and Applied Science Program supports grants in six AFRI priority areas to advance knowledge in both fundamental and applied sciences important to agriculture. The six priority areas are: Plant Health and Production and Plant Products; Animal Health and Production and Animal Products; Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health; Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment; Agriculture Systems and Technology; and Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities. Research-only, extension-only, and integrated research, education and/or extension projects are solicited in this Request for Applications (RFA). See Foundational and Applied Science RFA for specific detail.

Summary fields are from official SAM.gov or Grants.gov structured data. CaptureIQ does not republish full solicitation or grant text.

Eligibility

Eligibility Requirements Applicants for AFRI must meet all the requirements discussed in this RFA. 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 Projects Eligible 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; and i) any group consisting of two or more entities identified in a) through h).

Eligible institutions do not include foreign and international organizations.

2. Integrated Projects Eligible applicants for Integrated Projects include: a) colleges and universities; b) 1994 Land-Grant Institutions; and c) 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 Grants Part II § C.2 contains the eligibility details for Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) Grants. Note that under the FASE program, New Investigator Standard, New Investigator Seed, Strengthening Standard, Strengthening Workshop, Strengthening Seed, Equipment and Sabbatical Grants are solicited by specific program area priorities in this RFA. Not all grant types are solicited by every program area priority in this RFA and only grant types specifically solicited by each specific program area priority, as identified in the Program Area Descriptions of Part I § C, will be considered for review.

Eligible applicant categories

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Official Grants.gov eligibility information. Listed categories are not a determination that an organization qualifies.

Funding and program

Assistance Listing

10.310

Funding instrument

Grant

Cost sharing

Not required

Estimated total program funding

300,000,000

Official modification date

August 1, 2025

Official Funding Information

Estimated total program funding is the government figure for the whole program, not an individual award ceiling. These figures are estimates, not guaranteed funding. The funding-information link is the stored Grants.gov reference, not an application submission URL.

Related Federal Opportunities

• Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs Phase IINational Institute of FOOD and Agriculture · Due 2026-11-17
• Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Education and Workforce DevelopmentNational Institute of FOOD and Agriculture · Due Dec 31, 20
• Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants ProgramNational Institute of FOOD and Agriculture · Due 2026-12-03
• Tribal Colleges Research Grants ProgramNational Institute of FOOD and Agriculture · Due Dec 31, 20