Closed · USDA-NIFA-CSPECA-32938 · CFDA 10.226 · Discretionary

Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants Program

Federal grant opportunity posted by National Institute of Food and Agriculture-eRA, cataloged on Grants.gov.

$10K-$150K
Award range
Closed
Status
July 27, 2026
Close date
10
Expected awards

The verdict

Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants Program is a closed discretionary listing from National Institute of Food and Agriculture-eRA that offered $10,000 -- $150,000 across 10 expected awards. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number.

$10K-$150K
award range
Closed
application status
10
expected awards
10.226
CFDA program

Opportunity snapshot. This Grants.gov announcement - Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants Program - is cataloged under number USDA-NIFA-CSPECA-32938 and tied to CFDA assistance listing 10.226, posted by National Institute of Food and Agriculture-eRA. Grants.gov currently shows the opportunity as closed, first posted on July 8, 2026. The funding category is Discretionary, delivered as a grant.

Award economics. The award range on file is $10,000 -- $150,000. The agency has projected $750,000 in total estimated funding for this announcement. It expects to issue 10 awards. If the agency funds the expected 10 awards from the $750,000 estimated pool, the average award works out to roughly $75,000. Cost sharing is not required, so applicants do not need to commit matching funds to be competitive on this opportunity. 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. This opportunity closed on July 27, 2026. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number, so monitoring the parent program page is the most reliable way to catch re-announcements. 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. Before acting on the deadline or award figures above, verify them directly on the official Grants.gov listing, amendments can change dates and amounts after this page was last refreshed.

Award Range

$10,000 -- $150,000

Close Date

July 27, 2026

Posted

July 8, 2026

Est. Total Funding

$750,000

Expected Awards

10

Instrument

Grant

Description

The purpose of the SPECA program is to award grants to; enhance curricula in agricultural education, increase faculty teaching competencies, interest young people in pursuing higher education in order to prepare for scientific and professional careers in the food and agricultural sciences, promote the incorporation of agriscience and agribusiness subject matter into other instructional programs, particularly classes in science, business, and consumer education, facilitate joint initiatives by the grant recipient with other secondary schools, institutions of higher education that award an associate degree, and institutions of higher education that award a bachelor's degree to maximize the development and use of resources, such as faculty, facilities, and equipment, to improve agriscience and agribusiness education, support other initiatives designed to meet local, State, regional, or national needs related to promoting excellence in agriscience and agribusiness education; and support current agriculture in the classroom programs for grades K–12.

Eligibility

Grants.gov lists this opportunity under eligibility category code 25. These codes correspond to applicant types (state/local government, tribal organization, nonprofit, educational institution, individual, small business, etc.) defined in Grants.gov's own eligibility reference. See the current Grants.gov eligibility categories or check the official listing below for this opportunity's exact eligibility statement.

Official Listing on Grants.gov

View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.

View on Grants.gov

Agency Contact

NIFA Support Email grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov

Key Dates

Posted July 8, 2026
Close Date July 27, 2026
Archive Date August 31, 2026
Last Updated July 8, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this grant opportunity?
This is a federal funding opportunity titled "Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants Program", offered by National Institute of Food and Agriculture-eRA. It is associated with CFDA program 10.226. The purpose of the SPECA program is to award grants to; enhance curricula in agricultural education, increase faculty teaching competencies, interest young people in pursuing higher education in order...
Is this opportunity still open?
No, this opportunity is closed. It closed on July 27, 2026. Check the parent program page for future funding cycles.
How much funding is available?
The award range for this opportunity is $10,000 -- $150,000. Total estimated funding: $750,000. Expected number of awards: 10.
How do I apply?
Applications for federal grant opportunities are typically submitted through Grants.gov. Visit the official listing at grants.gov for application instructions, required documents, and submission deadlines.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from Grants.gov and SAM.gov and is for informational purposes only. Opportunity details, deadlines, and eligibility requirements change frequently. Always verify current information directly on Grants.gov before applying. PlainGrants is not affiliated with any federal agency.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Related

Browse all → | Rankings →
Data sourced from the SAM.gov Assistance Listings and Grants.gov. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainGrants