Closed · USDA-NIFA-CGP-011315 · CFDA 10.217 · Discretionary

Higher Education Challenge Grants Program

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

$150K-$750K
Award range
Closed
Status
October 15, 2026
Close date
36
Expected awards

The verdict

Higher Education Challenge Grants Program is a closed discretionary listing from National Institute of Food and Agriculture that offered $150,000 -- $750,000 across 36 expected awards. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number. PlainGrants indexes 837 other opportunities from National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

$150K-$750K
award range
Closed
application status
36
expected awards
10.217
CFDA program

Recently closed NOFO

This listing closed on October 15, 2026. Watch CFDA 10.217 (Agricultural Experiment Stations) for the next funding cycle. Historical award band was $150,000 -- $750,000.

According to Grants.gov (extract vintage 2026-08-10), this record reflects the officially published listing. See methodology.

Deadline tracker

Application window closed

Closed October 15, 2026

Posted Aug 5 Closes Oct 15

Est. Total Funding

$5,700,000

Expected Awards

36

Instrument

Grant

Description

The purpose of HEC, under assistance listing 10.217, is to strengthen institutional capacities, including curriculum, faculty, scientific instrumentation, and student recruitment and retention. The HEC program is focused on developing and improving formal master’s or doctorate degree-level food and agricultural sciences education and first professional degree-level education in veterinary medicine, such as a doctorate in veterinary medicine (DVM).

Catch-all / unrestricted eligibility mark · USDA-NIFA-CGP-011315

Grants.gov marks Higher Education Challenge Grants Program with a catch-all / unrestricted eligibility code (Others (see official listing text)). Read the official announcement text for the real applicant filter — the code alone is not a door list. The extract does not mark applicant cost-sharing as required. Instrument: Grant. Funding-activity code maps to Agriculture (AG). This eligibility-code string dominates the National Institute of Food and Agriculture book (699 peers, 83% of 838).

Code 25
Others (see official listing text)

Codes are Grants.gov eligibility category values from the extract vintage 2026-08-10. Confirm the full eligibility statement on the official listing or the Grants.gov eligibility reference.

Official Listing on Grants.gov

View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.

View on Grants.gov

Parent Grant Program

CFDA 10.217

Agricultural Experiment Stations

U.S. Department of Agriculture

View program →

Agency Contact

NIFA Support Email grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov Business hours: Monday thru Friday, 7a.m. – 5p.m. ET, except federal holidays

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What to do next

Higher Education Challenge Grants Program is closed; use the parent program and agency catalog for the next funding cycle.

  • Parent CFDA 10.217 may publish future NOFOs under the same assistance listing. Open program
  • Agricultural Experiment Stations indexes 1 Grants.gov listings in this extract. Program profile
  • National Institute of Food and Agriculture lists 837 other indexed opportunities on PlainGrants. Agency catalog

Opportunity deadlines and eligibility change on Grants.gov; PlainGrants mirrors the extract and is not the submission system.

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.

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