Scholarships for Students at 1890 Institutions (1890 Scholarships)

The Scholarships for Students at 1890 Institutions program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, supports scholarships at the nineteen 1890 Land-grant institutions, including Tuskegee University. The program operates under Assistance Listing Number 10.524 and Funding Opportunity Number USDA-NIFA-1890SS-011978. Its legislative authority is Section 1446(b)(1) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977. The program supports the development of a highly skilled food and agricultural systems workforce and also supports the White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The program provides scholarships that support recruiting, engaging, retaining, mentoring, and training undergraduate and graduate students at eligible 1890 Land-grant institutions. Scholarships are intended to encourage outstanding students to pursue and complete baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees in the food and agricultural sciences. Institutions are strongly encouraged to propose comprehensive, multi-year plans with measurable goals and ongoing evaluation designed to increase the number of domestic students attaining relevant degrees and support Scholars who intend to pursue careers in food and agricultural sciences. Education Projects must develop human capital relevant to U.S. agriculture and focus on skills needed for technical employment or entry into graduate programs. Approximately $67,200,000 is anticipated for the program, consisting of $57.6 million from HR1 and $9.6 million in discretionary funding. Approximately $21.2 million is expected to fund the first year of new projects as competitive awards, with similar amounts potentially available for four additional years as continuation awards, subject to funding availability and satisfactory performance. NIFA anticipates 19 awards of approximately $5,557,890 each over 60 months, with an approximately $1,111,578 budget for each of the five project years. Federal funding is restricted to student scholarships covering tuition, student fees, room and board, and textbooks or e-books. Funding supporting graduate students cannot exceed 30 percent of total annual funding, and indirect costs are not permitted. No matching contribution is required, although voluntary cost sharing is encouraged. Applications may only be submitted by the nineteen 1890 Land-grant institutions, including Tuskegee University, and an eligible institution may submit only one application. Institutions must have a competitive scholarship awards process in place. Scholars receiving Federal funds must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents, must have been accepted for admission to an 1890 institution, and must enroll no later than one year after acceptance. Scholars must study food and agricultural sciences, intend to pursue a related career, and normally be enrolled full time. Undergraduate Scholars must have and maintain at least a 2.8 GPA, while graduate Scholars must have and maintain at least a 3.0 GPA. Institutions may establish higher minimums, but not above 3.2 for undergraduates or 3.5 for graduate students. Master's students maintaining satisfactory progress may receive support for up to 24 months within a 30-month period, while doctoral students may receive support for up to 36 months within a 42-month period, subject to stated exception procedures. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov using Funding Opportunity Number USDA-NIFA-1890SS-011978. Required materials include the SF 424 R&R Cover Sheet, Project/Performance Site Location forms, R&R Other Project Information Form, R&R Senior/Key Person Profile, R&R Budget, Supplemental Information Form, and applicable supporting materials. The Project Summary or Abstract must not exceed 250 words. The Project Narrative is limited to fifteen 1.5-spaced pages of written text plus up to two additional 1.5-spaced pages for figures and tables. Narrative components address potential for building the food and agricultural workforce, the recruitment and competitive Scholar selection process, management and institutional support mechanisms, mentoring, career development, monitoring, professional development, reporting capacity, evaluation, feedback, and longitudinal tracking. Required PDF attachments include an institutional goals and objectives letter, a Data Management Plan, and Expected Outcomes information. Attachments must be submitted in PDF format. NIFA first screens applications for compliance with administrative requirements. Applications satisfying those requirements proceed to scientific peer review. Evaluation elements are equally weighted and address potential for building the food and agricultural workforce, overall approach and proposal quality, management of the institutional 1890 Scholarships Program, and reporting capacity and evaluation. Review considerations include demonstrated workforce need, curriculum strength, the competitive scholarship process, compliance with application requirements, Scholar retention and mentoring, monitoring mechanisms, career and professional development, the Data Management Plan, data collection capacity, evaluation methods, feedback mechanisms, and post-program tracking. NIFA may negotiate revisions to scope, funding level, period, or method of support before recommending a project for funding. The application deadline is 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time on September 10, 2026. No separate required pre-application submission is identified. The NOFO begins a new five-year continuation funding cycle, but future continuation funding depends on appropriations, funding availability, and satisfactory awardee performance rather than a stated recurring application cycle. The grant duration is 60 months, and the effective date of an award must generally be no later than September 30 of the Federal fiscal year in which the project is approved and funds are appropriated, unless otherwise permitted by law. Programmatic questions may be sent to 1890Scholarships.Applications@usda.gov. Other NOFO or application questions may be sent to grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov, and questions concerning awards may be sent to awards@usda.gov. Grants.gov technical support is available at support@grants.gov or 800-518-4726 and 606-545-5035.

Align the proposal directly with development of the food and agricultural workforce and demonstrate national, regional, or local workforce need. Present a detailed competitive scholarship awards process and a comprehensive Scholar retention and mentoring plan. Define mechanisms for monitoring Scholar progress and disseminating career and professional development opportunities. Demonstrate strong capacity for collecting scholarship data, evaluating overall program success, incorporating feedback, and longitudinally tracking Scholars. Follow all application instructions carefully because compliance, accuracy of forms, completeness, presentation, and inclusion of required materials are expressly evaluated. Ensure the Data Management Plan is sufficient and addresses confidentiality and student privacy.