Cochran Fellowship Program FY2026

The Cochran Fellowship Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through its Foreign Agricultural Service and represents a longstanding federal effort to strengthen global agricultural trade relationships. Established to support applied research, extension, and education collaborations, the program connects U.S. academic institutions with international partners from emerging market economies. The initiative is designed to enhance the capacity of foreign agricultural professionals while simultaneously expanding market opportunities for U.S. agricultural products. Since its inception in 1984, the program has trained thousands of international participants and remains a strategic mechanism for advancing U.S. agricultural exports and policy alignment abroad. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to support U.S. colleges and universities in designing and delivering specialized training programs for international participants. These programs focus on agricultural trade, policy, agribusiness development, food safety, and related disciplines. Awardees are responsible for organizing short-term training experiences, typically lasting one to two weeks, that take place within the United States. These trainings are tailored to specific countries and subject areas, such as genetic engineering policy, food safety systems, feed market development, or agricultural product promotion, with the ultimate goal of improving foreign participants’ technical knowledge and regulatory frameworks. Funding under this program is provided through cooperative agreements, with a total program allocation of approximately 1,050,000 dollars and individual awards capped at 150,000 dollars. While cost sharing is not required, it is encouraged, indicating that applicants may strengthen their proposals by demonstrating institutional investment. Funds must be used strictly for allowable programmatic purposes and must comply with federal cost principles, including restrictions on lobbying, litigation, and certain capital expenditures. Indirect costs for nonprofit institutions are capped at ten percent of direct costs. Compensation limits also apply to personnel costs, ensuring alignment with federal salary thresholds. Eligibility is limited to state cooperative institutions and other U.S.-based colleges and universities as defined under federal statute. Applicants must maintain an active registration in the System for Award Management and submit a complete application package that includes standard federal forms, a detailed budget narrative, and a comprehensive project narrative. The project narrative must outline the training plan, institutional qualifications, logistical approach, evaluation strategy, and anticipated outcomes. Applications are reviewed for both eligibility and completeness prior to evaluation, and noncompliant submissions are disqualified early in the process. The application process requires submission through the USDA ezFedGrants system, and applicants are strongly encouraged to begin registration well in advance due to identity verification requirements. Key deadlines include a question submission cutoff in mid-June and a final application deadline in mid-August. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the stated deadline, and late submissions are not accepted. Applicants are advised to submit early to avoid technical issues, as exceptions are rarely granted. Applications are evaluated based on a structured scoring system that includes expertise, experience, training plan quality, quality assurance, budget justification, and overall application quality. Review panels assess the applicant’s ability to deliver effective training programs, including their understanding of international agricultural systems and capacity for managing logistics and participant engagement. Final award decisions are made by a selecting official, who may consider strategic priorities in addition to panel rankings. Selected applicants are notified via email, and awards are contingent upon final approval and execution of agreement documents. The performance period for funded projects generally supports short-term training programs to be completed before late 2027, depending on the specific training topic. Recipients are responsible for reporting, monitoring, and compliance requirements, including financial and performance reporting within 120 days of project completion. The program is issued as a new funding opportunity for this fiscal year, with no explicit indication of recurrence, though similar opportunities have historically been released on a periodic basis.

Focus on demonstrating expertise in international agricultural systems, provide a detailed and realistic training plan, and ensure budget justification aligns clearly with proposed activities.