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

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Education and Workforce Development (EWD) grant program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), provides funding to support innovative education, training, and workforce development projects in the food and agricultural sciences. AFRI is the USDA’s premier competitive grants program for fundamental and applied research, education, and extension projects. Under the FY26 cycle, approximately $39.7 million is anticipated to be available to support initiatives that build capacity and strengthen the agricultural workforce pipeline in the United States. The AFRI EWD program encompasses seven distinct Program Area Priorities, each tailored to different educational stages and professional pathways. These include: (1) Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy (PDAL); (2) Agricultural Workforce Training at Community Colleges (AWT); (3) Food and Agricultural Non-Formal Education (FANE); (4) Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates (REEU); (5) Predoctoral Fellowships; (6) Postdoctoral Fellowships; and (7) Education and Workforce Development Workshop Grants. These tracks address educational interventions from K-14 through graduate and postdoctoral levels, with goals ranging from improving classroom pedagogy to supporting scientific research careers. Each program area has its own eligibility rules, deadlines, project types, and budgetary limits. For instance, PDAL supports immersive learning and curriculum development for K-14 teachers with a maximum award of $500,000 over 36–48 months, while REEU offers up to $650,000 for undergraduate research engagement over four years. Predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships have defined salary and research cost structures with caps of $180,000 and $244,000 respectively. All project types must include leadership development, align with at least one of six AFRI Farm Bill priority areas, and integrate mentoring plans where applicable. Projects that include artificial intelligence tools and training are especially encouraged across several tracks. Matching funds are required only under specific conditions, such as when an applied research project is commodity-specific and not national in scope. Otherwise, most project types under this NOFO are exempt from cost-sharing requirements. The AFRI EWD grant does not support construction or facility acquisition and limits indirect costs to 30% of total federal funding. Many program types welcome applications from institutions eligible for Strengthening Grants under the Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) program. Application procedures vary by program area. For most tracks, a full application must be submitted through Grants.gov by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on the program-specific deadline. For example, PDAL, AWT, FANE, and REEU applications are due by March 19, 2026, while predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowship applications are due April 16 and April 30, 2026, respectively. Workshop grants require a Letter of Intent (LOI) submitted at least 255 days before the proposed event and a full application at least 210 days prior. Applications must follow detailed format and submission instructions, including components such as project narratives, mentoring plans, data management plans, and budget justifications. Evaluation of submitted proposals includes a scientific peer-review process assessing alignment with AFRI priorities, feasibility, innovation, and impact. NIFA encourages applicants to engage industry partners and federal resources such as USDA labs and datasets. Following review, awards are made at the discretion of the USDA and are announced before the end of the fiscal year. All funded projects are expected to demonstrate measurable outcomes such as improved student engagement, credential attainment, and long-term impacts on agricultural education and workforce readiness. Contact information for each program area is provided within the NOFO. General inquiries can be directed to [email protected], while program-specific contacts such as [email protected] (for PDAL) or [email protected] (for fellowships) are listed for technical guidance. Applicants should ensure compliance with all application requirements outlined in the AFRI Grants Application Guide and the NOFO itself. Proposals that do not adhere to formatting or submission standards may be excluded from review.

Ensure compliance with formatting and narrative structure; proposals not following instructions may be excluded from review.