1890 Institution Teaching, Research, and Extension Capacity Building Grants Program

The 1890 Institution Teaching, Research, and Extension Capacity Building Grants Program is administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The program is authorized under 7 U.S.C. 3152(b)(4) and annual appropriations for the 1890 Capacity Building Program. Its purpose is to strengthen the education, research, and Extension capacity of eligible 1890 Land-grant Universities and support their participation in the U.S. food and agricultural sciences higher education system. Program goals include advancing the professional workforce by attracting and educating students in food and agricultural sciences, strengthening linkages among 1890 Universities and other public and private partners, and enhancing the quality of education, research, and Extension programs. Projects must address at least one identified priority area, including human health and nutrition, rural communities, bioenergy and natural resources, agricultural systems, healthy and safe food production, youth development, water quality, family and consumer sciences, food security and agricultural biosecurity, agriculture workforce development, emerging agricultural threats, or other general food and agricultural sciences issues. Funding supports Education, Research, Extension, and Integrated Projects. Education Projects address workforce development, training, curricula, faculty preparation, scientific instrumentation, experiential learning, and student recruitment and retention. Research Projects support fundamental and applied food and agricultural sciences research and centralized research support systems. Extension Projects support science-based informal education and decision-making resources for farmers, ranchers, producers, and small and mid-sized farms, including program development, technology upgrades, delivery methods, and other Extension initiatives. Integrated Projects must combine at least two of education, research, and Extension around a common problem or issue. Applicants may pursue Standard, Collaborative, Professional Development, or Workshop Grants where applicable. Projects generally have a duration of 12 to 36 months. Approximately 56,000,000 dollars is available for fiscal year 2026, consisting of 28,000,000 dollars in fiscal year 2026 funding and 28,000,000 dollars in fiscal year 2025 funding. Approximately 28,000,000 dollars is anticipated for fiscal year 2027. Individual funding levels vary by grant and project type. The stated program award range extends from 50,000 dollars through 750,000 dollars. Standard Grant maximums are 300,000 dollars for Education and Extension, 400,000 dollars for Research, and 600,000 dollars for Integrated Projects. Collaborative Grant maximums are 500,000 dollars for Education, Research, and Extension and 750,000 dollars for Integrated Projects. Professional Development Grants have a 150,000 dollar maximum and Workshop Grants have a 50,000 dollar maximum. No matching contribution is required, although cost sharing is encouraged and is not considered as a review criterion. Indirect costs may not exceed 30 percent of Total Federal Funds Awarded. Grant funds may not be used to plan, acquire, or construct a building or facility, although approved minor alterations, renovations, or repairs incidental to a funded project may be permitted. Applications may only be submitted by the 19 eligible 1890 Land-grant Universities named in the notice. Faculty may not serve as Project Director on more than two active 1890 Capacity Building Grant projects, and if an applicant has two active projects, at least one must be scheduled to expire by the end of the current fiscal year. Institutions may submit up to 16 Standard or Collaborative Grant applications, three Professional Development Grant applications, and one Workshop Grant application in each covered fiscal year. Collaborative or Integrated Education, Research, and Extension Projects may subcontract to otherwise ineligible organizations when their participation is necessary to conduct the project and advances capacity building at the 1890 Land-grant University. Standard Grants do not allow subaward budgets, while Collaborative Grants require partners to share grant funds and generally limit subcontracting to no more than 50 percent of total award dollars. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov using funding opportunity number USDA-NIFA-CBGP-011698. Applicants should follow the application package and applicable NIFA Grants Application Guide, with the notice controlling if the documents conflict. Required and potentially applicable components include the Project Summary or Abstract, Project Narrative, Data Management Plan, accomplishment reports for previously funded projects, collaborative arrangement letters, institutional goals and objectives letter, logic model, references cited, mentoring plan, curriculum vitae, current and pending support, conflict of interest information, budget, and budget justification. The Project Summary or Abstract, Project Narrative, and Budget and Budget Justification are critical required documents, and omission results in the application not being reviewed or considered for funding. An institutional letter is also required for all applications. Standard and Collaborative Grant narratives are limited to 18 pages, while Professional Development and Workshop Grant narratives are limited to eight pages under the specified formatting requirements. NIFA first screens applications for compliance with administrative requirements and then uses scientific peer review for applications that pass administrative screening. Standard and Collaborative applications are evaluated on their potential to build and strengthen institutional capacity and advance education, research, or Extension; the overall approach, cooperative linkages, and proposal quality; personnel resources; budget and cost-effectiveness; and suitability and feasibility of the Data Management Plan. Professional Development and Workshop applications have grant-type-specific criteria focused on merit, relevance, approach, experience where applicable, and budget and cost-effectiveness. NIFA may negotiate revisions to project scope, funding, period, or method of support before recommending a project for funding. The fiscal year 2026 application deadline is November 4, 2026, at 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time, and the fiscal year 2027 deadline is August 25, 2027, at 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time. The notice does not establish a separate required letter of intent, concept paper, or other pre-application gating deadline. Programmatic questions may be sent to 1890.CBG@usda.gov, while other notice or application questions may be sent to grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov. Grants.gov technical support is available at support@grants.gov and by telephone at 800-518-4726 or 606-545-5035. Awards must have an effective date 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.

Address every applicable evaluation criterion directly in the Project Narrative and clearly connect the project to institutional goals and USDA priorities. Demonstrate measurable institutional capacity building and provide quantified metrics for products, outputs, outcomes, and impacts. Include a credible evaluation plan, timetable, dissemination plan, and management approach. Clearly define partner roles for Collaborative and Integrated Projects. Explain the necessity and reasonableness of budget items and demonstrate cost-effectiveness. Verify all required PDF attachments and conduct an administrative completeness review before Grants.gov submission because missing critical documents can prevent review.