AGRI Urban Agriculture Youth Education Grant

The AGRI Urban Agriculture Youth Education Grant is administered by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture through the Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation Program. AGRI was established to advance Minnesota's agricultural and renewable energy industries and has supported increased productivity, improved efficiency, and development of agricultural products. The Urban Agriculture Grant Program was established by the Minnesota Legislature to promote urban agriculture youth education and urban agriculture community and economic development within urban or peri-urban areas. This Youth Education grant specifically supports projects that establish or grow agricultural education programs for youth ranging from early childhood through post-secondary and young adult-aged students. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture expects to award approximately $1.93 million across its two Urban Agriculture Grant programs, with approximately 50 percent expected to support urban youth agricultural education projects. The final amount allocated to each program, number of awards, and amount of each award will be determined through competitive review. Applicants may request from $5,000 to $75,000. Projects must be completed within three years and conducted in Minnesota. Eligible expenses include project-specific salaries, wages and fringe benefits, transportation for off-site field trips, equipment and installation, program supplies and materials, construction, contractual services, and translation. General operating expenses, overhead and indirect costs, land rental or purchases, fundraising, political contributions, out-of-state travel, prepaid cards, cash-paid expenses, and costs incurred outside the grant contract period are among the ineligible expenses. Applicants must provide a cash match equal to at least 25 percent of total project cost. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture reimburses up to 75 percent of eligible project costs, meaning that for every three dollars of grant funding, the applicant provides one dollar of cash match. Matching funds may include cash, loans, other grants, or liquid capital assets dedicated to the project. State grant funds cannot serve as matching funds, although non-forgivable State loans may qualify. Donated and in-kind contributions cannot count toward the required match. Grant payments are made on a reimbursement basis and require documentation of eligible project expenses and payment. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, for-profit businesses, schools and school districts serving preschool or K-12 students, colleges and universities serving post-secondary or young adult-aged students, Native American Tribal governments or communities, and local governmental units. Projects must be conducted in Minnesota and must be located in or serve an eligible community listed in Appendix A or Appendix B. Eligible communities include specified cities with populations over 5,000 and federally recognized Tribal lands and Tribal communities regardless of population. Projects must directly advance urban agriculture youth education and benefit multiple farmers and/or youth. Collaboration is permitted but not required. At least one letter of support is mandatory, and collaborative applicants must provide letters demonstrating partner commitment. Schools, school districts, and post-secondary institutions must also provide the required signed Authority to Apply Letter when applicable. Applications are submitted through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture online application system by creating an account, selecting the AGRI Urban Agriculture Youth Education Grant, completing the required questions, uploading all required attachments, and submitting the application. The application requests organizational and contact information, eligibility certifications and attestations, prior Minnesota grant history, project and location information, project design, objectives, an evaluation plan, organizational capacity and sustainability information, youth and community engagement, impact on Minnesota agriculture, a work plan and timeline, and a detailed budget and budget narrative. Applicants must upload the budget table as an Excel file and at least one letter of support. Incomplete or late applications are rejected, and unrequested materials are not considered. Eligible applications are reviewed competitively in two phases. Phase one uses a 100-point evaluation profile covering project design for 20 points; project location for 10 points; organizational capacity for 15 points; youth and community engagement for 15 points; impact on Minnesota agriculture for 10 points; work plan and timeline for 15 points; and budget and match for 15 points. The program prioritizes projects demonstrating clear connections between youth and urban agriculture and projects demonstrating new or continued community partnerships. Applicants advanced to phase two undergo the required pre-award risk assessment, which evaluates past performance and financial and operational capacity. Reviewers and staff recommend projects for whole or partial funding to the Commissioner of Agriculture, who makes final award decisions. Applications were due by 4 p.m. Central Time on February 26, 2026, and the deadline for written program questions was 4 p.m. Central Time on February 19, 2026. Questions were directed to MDA.AGRIGrants@state.mn.us with AGRI Urban Ag Youth Education Grant in the subject line. Phase one review was scheduled for February 27 through April 17, 2026, followed by phase two during the week of April 20, 2026. Award decisions were expected during the week of May 11, 2026, with projects anticipated to begin June 1, 2026 or later after full execution of the grant contract. Grant contracts may run for up to three years. The RFP does not state that this opportunity recurs annually or on another regular schedule, so no future cycle is inferred.

Address the Project Evaluation Profile directly; demonstrate clear connections between youth and urban agriculture; demonstrate new or continued community partnerships; use clear and concise objectives; provide a realistic evaluation plan; show organizational capacity to implement and sustain the project; provide a thorough and realistic work plan; make the budget table and narrative consistent; detail all project costs and support amounts with quotes or other sources; identify the amount and source of the cash match; answer every required question and include every required attachment; submit early because late or incomplete applications will not be evaluated