Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative - OREI Planning Projects for Assistance in Development of Future OREI Proposals Requiring Multi-regional or Regional Coordination

The Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) Planning Projects for Assistance in Development of Future OREI Proposals Requiring Multi-regional or Regional Coordination is a competitive funding opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through its National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This program supports efforts to develop planning proposals that enable future large-scale OREI projects with a focus on organic agriculture. The initiative is rooted in the USDA’s mandate to enhance organic production and research through integration of research, education, and extension activities. It seeks to build capacity, encourage innovation, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of organic systems in the United States. The legislative authority for the OREI derives from the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, which amended the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade (FACT) Act of 1990. This authorizes competitive grants to improve organic agriculture, aligned with eight goals such as enhancing production and processing methods, evaluating economic impacts, exploring international trade, and developing new seed varieties. Planning project proposals must focus on building infrastructure for future proposals that address multi-regional or regional organic agriculture challenges. The current funding opportunity supports integrated research, education, and outreach projects lasting 12 months. Planning proposals should be used to assemble collaborative teams and design projects that can be competitive for future OREI opportunities. Awards are limited to $50,000, with a total of approximately $550,000 available for FY 2026. Eleven awards are anticipated. These grants are intended to be non-renewable and should not be used to collect preliminary data. Instead, they are to support activities such as meetings, consultations, and white papers that inform larger future projects. Proposals should reflect stakeholder engagement and result in outputs such as documented priorities and strategic plans. All proposals must demonstrate outcomes and methods for dissemination. Applicants must provide 100% matching contributions for all awarded federal funds unless they qualify for a waiver under specific conditions, such as working with minor commodities. Eligible applicants include state agricultural experiment stations, colleges and universities, federal agencies, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, individuals, and consortia of such groups. Subawards to ineligible entities are permitted if necessary for project success. Projects involving fieldwork must be conducted on USDA-certified organic land or facilities, or in some cases, transitioning land with justification. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov using funding opportunity number USDA-NIFA-D113A-32357. A Letter of Intent is not required. The deadline for full proposals is May 14, 2026, by 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time. Required registrations include SAM, UEI, and eRA Commons accounts. Applicants are encouraged to conduct an administrative review of all required forms and attachments using the NIFA Grants Application Guide. Submissions that fail to meet technical requirements or page limits will not be reviewed. The review process is merit-based and involves both administrative screening and a scientific peer-review panel. Evaluation criteria include the justification of activities, planning team composition, conceptual adequacy, innovation, personnel qualifications, and potential for long-term impact. Performance measures will focus on tangible outcomes such as stakeholder engagement, information dissemination, and readiness to submit full-scale OREI proposals. The program encourages applicants to consult stakeholders in proposal development and maintain advisory panels throughout the project lifecycle. Questions may be directed to NIFA via [email protected], and additional support is available through Grants.gov and the eRA Service Desk.

Engage organic stakeholders early; Avoid overlap with ORG applications; Detail planning outputs like white papers; Justify organic certification status clearly