Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Education and Workforce Development

Opportunity snapshot. This Grants.gov announcement — Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Education and Workforce Development — is cataloged under number USDA-NIFA-AFRI-011596 and tied to CFDA assistance listing 10.310, posted by National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Grants.gov currently shows the opportunity as open, first posted on January 20, 2026 and last updated on January 22, 2026. The funding category is Discretionary, delivered as a grant.

Award economics. The award range on file is $10,000 -- $650,000. The agency has projected $39.7 million in total estimated funding for this announcement. It expects to issue 245 awards. If the agency funds the expected 245 awards from the $39.7 million estimated pool, the average award works out to roughly $162,000. Cost sharing or matching funds are required, meaning applicants must contribute a portion of the project budget from non-federal sources — factor this into your financial plan before drafting the proposal. Federal award ranges are often upper bounds; actual allocations reflect program appropriations, the strength of the applicant pool, and the evaluation committee's scoring.

Deadline and action path. Applications close on December 31, 2026 — roughly 209 days from today. Every Grants.gov submission requires an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity ID. Review the Eligibility section below carefully — federal eligibility categories (nonprofit, state or local government, tribal, individual, educational institution, small business) have distinct registration and reporting requirements. Pre-application outreach to the listed agency contact is permitted and often welcomed — it helps clarify scope and scoring priorities.