Tribal Colleges Education Equity Grants Program

The Tribal Colleges Education Equity Grants Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The program operates under the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994, as amended by the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998. For the current funding opportunity, NIFA seeks applications to promote post-secondary education at institutions designated as 1994 Land-grant Institutions and to increase educational opportunities for American Indian students. Approximately $8 million is available for the program. Awards will be administered as four-year continuation Standard Grants, with continued support subject to satisfactory performance, available appropriations, and the interests of the Federal government and the public. The program is designed to build Tribal education capacity in the food and agricultural sciences for Native Alaskan and American Indian students. Education Projects must address one or more of six legislatively mandated priorities: curricula design and materials development, faculty development and teacher preparation, student experiential learning, equipment and instrumentation for teaching science, technology, engineering, arts and math, student recruitment and retention, and instruction delivery systems and strategic partnerships. Teaching applications must incorporate a Tribal leadership development component that equips students with technical and leadership abilities upon graduation. Projects involving innovative agricultural technologies, including artificial intelligence, data science, robotics, and other cutting-edge digital tools, are of particular interest. Educational activities must directly support increased technical competency and workforce development in food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences. NIFA anticipates approximately 35 awards. The stated minimum and maximum award amounts are both $228,571, and the grant duration is 48 months. Indirect costs may not exceed 30 percent of Total Federal Funds Awarded, subject to the detailed indirect cost rules in the notice. Organizations without a current negotiated indirect cost rate may elect the applicable de minimis rate described in the notice. No matching contribution is required, and matching resources will not be considered as an evaluation criterion, although voluntary cost sharing is encouraged. Award funds may be used only for the approved purposes and in accordance with applicable Federal requirements, the approved budget, and project plans. No more than 50 percent of the total award dollars may be subcontracted to other parties without prior written approval, except for subcontracts to Federal agencies. Additional restrictions apply to certain unmanned aircraft systems and unallowable 3-D printers. Applications may only be submitted by Tribal Colleges or Universities designated as 1994 Land-grant Institutions under the Equity Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994. The notice provides an exclusive list of 35 eligible institutions. Award recipients may subcontract with organizations that are not independently eligible to apply when those organizations are necessary to conduct the project. Applicants must satisfy all eligibility requirements by the October 7, 2026 application deadline. Applications are limited to new applications and must propose Education Projects administered as Standard Grants. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov using funding opportunity number USDA-NIFA-TCEG-011837. Required materials include the SF 424 R&R Cover Sheet, SF 424 R&R Project/Performance Site Location forms, R&R Other Project Information Form, R&R Senior/Key Person Profile, R&R Budget, Supplemental Information Form, Conflict of Interest List, and other materials required by the NIFA Grants Application Guide. The Project Summary or Abstract may not exceed 250 words and must include the project title and names and affiliated organizations of all project directors and co-project directors. The Project Narrative may not exceed 12 one-and-one-half-spaced pages of written text, with up to three additional similarly spaced pages for figures and tables. It must address the Tribal College, project rationale and significance, program-aligned objectives, a four-year timeline, evaluation, capacity building, and dissemination. A Data Management Plan is required and must be attached in the Other Attachments section. Attachments must be submitted in PDF format. NIFA first conducts an administrative screening to determine whether applications satisfy the requirements of the notice. Applications that pass administrative review proceed to scientific peer review. Five equally weighted evaluation criteria are used: potential for advancing the quality of Tribal education and significance of the problem, proposed approach and cooperative linkages, institutional capability and capacity building, key personnel, and budget and cost effectiveness. NIFA may negotiate project scope, funding level, period, or method of support before recommending an award. Within available funding, grants will be made to responsible and eligible applicants judged most meritorious. The grant effective date must generally be no later than September 30 of the Federal fiscal year in which the project is approved and funds are appropriated. The application deadline is 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time on October 7, 2026. The notice does not identify a required letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, notice of intent, or other pre-application gating deadline. It also does not state a specific award notification date. Programmatic questions may be directed to NIFAtribalprograms@usda.gov. Questions concerning the notice or application may be sent to grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov. Grants.gov technical support is available at support@grants.gov or 800-518-4726 and 606-545-5035. Questions concerning awards may be sent to awards@usda.gov. The notice describes this opportunity as beginning a new four-year continuation funding cycle but does not explicitly establish an annual, biennial, or other recurring application schedule.

Demonstrate a specific and justified Tribal education need and measurable workforce outcome. Align objectives directly with the legislatively mandated priorities and include the required Tribal leadership development component. Present a sound methodology, timetable, sustainability strategy, evaluation plan, and dissemination plan. Show institutional commitment, adequate resources, capacity building, and meaningful cooperative linkages. Use qualified key personnel and provide a necessary, reasonable, cost-effective budget. Complete an administrative review before submission and verify that required attachments are in PDF format.