Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields
Funds STEM education and extension projects that increase participation from rural areas in food and agricultural sciences for K-14 audiences, and may support related research activities within that educational mission.
⚑ Maximum award ceiling $200,000. · Applicants may submit up to two applications, with restrictions on duplicate or substantially overlapping submissions. · NIFA discourages stipend/tuition/educational costs for non-U.S. citizens, non-nationals, and non-permanent residents. · USDA will not accept applications for dangerous gain-of-function research.
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 40 partial | technical depth: substantial; funds training education (capped) |
| IPPRA | 39 weak | outside portfolio topics; signature methods: community engaged, surveys longitudinal; social/behavioral work is minor; funds training education, not research (capped) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 10 none | deep-tech content; no commercialization signal |
Description
The STEM program, under assistance listing number 10.318, will support projects that increase participation from rural areas. NIFA intends for this program to address educational needs through research and extension activities within broadly defined areas of the food and agricultural sciences and their allied disciplines. Projects must focus on an audience of K-14 students (kindergarten through twelfth grade plus two years of postsecondary schooling (e.g., vocational technical institutions or community or junior colleges). NIFA strongly encourages Project Directors to limit student stipends, tuition, or educational costs of the award to citizens, nationals, or permanent residents of the United States. This ensures grant supported training activities directly contribute to strengthening the domestic workforce pipeline.
Eligibility
Applicants for the 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 Grants Overview provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process.As contained in Section 7204 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (FCEA) (Pub. L. 110-246 which amends Section 1672 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925)), applications may only be submitted by the following eligible applicants: (a) State agricultural experiment stations (b) Colleges and universities (c) University research foundations (d) Other research institutions and organizations (e) Federal agencies (f) National laboratories (g) Private organizations or corporations (h) Individuals or any group consisting of two or more of the entities described in subparagraphs (a) through (h). USDA will not accept competitive applications for grants 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 (other than revisions) or predominantly overlapping applications are not allowed. An eligible applicant may submit up to two applications whereas they are not essentially duplications of the same project or portions of the same project to multiple programs. NIFA will disqualify both applications if an applicant submits duplicate submissions. For additional information or clarification, please contact the NIFA point of contact (POC) listed in this NOFO.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Joseph Perez Lead Policy Analyst <grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · USDA NIFA conventions SEE A USDA EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — USDA NIFA's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.