USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)

1. E. Gornish (Cooperative Extension Specialist in Ecological Restoration)
2. T.  Hodges ( Regional Academic Programs - Yuma Distance Campus)
    

UArizona can submit two proposals to this funding program. 

The purpose of this program is to support research, education/teaching, and extension projects that increase participation by women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas in STEM. NIFA intends this program to address educational needs within broadly defined areas of food and agricultural sciences. Applications recommended for funding must highlight and emphasize the development of a competent and qualified workforce in the food and agricultural sciences. WAMS-funded projects improve the economic health and viability of rural communities by developing research and extension initiatives that focus on new and emerging employment opportunities in STEM occupations. Projects that contribute to the economic viability of rural communities are also encouraged.

The submission for this funding program is coordinated by the University of Arizona Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives (HSI), for more information don't hesitate to get in touch with Riley McIssac, Associate Director of Grants Development.

E. Sparks (4-H Youth Development)

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA announces the Children, Youth, and Families at Risk (CYFAR) funding program to improve the quality and quantity of comprehensive community-based programs for at-risk children, youth, and families supported by the Cooperative Extension System. The CYFAR program mission is to marshal resources of the Land-Grant and Cooperative Extension Systems to develop and deliver educational programs that equip limited resource families and youth who are at-risk for not meeting basic human needs with the skills they need to lead positive, productive, contributing lives.

R. Tronstad ( Agricultural and Resource Economics)

The primary goal of BFRDP, under assistance listing number 10.311, is to help beginning farmers and ranchers in the United States and its territories enter and/or improve their successes in farming, ranching, and management of nonindustrial private forest lands, through support for projects that provide education, mentoring, and technical assistance to give beginning farmers and ranchers the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations and enhance their sustainability. The term “farmer” is used in the broadest sense and may be interpreted to include agricultural farmers, ranchers, and non-industrial private forest owners and managers. The term "beginning farmer or rancher" means a person that (A)(i) has not operated a farm or ranch; or (ii) has operated a farm or ranch for not more than 10 years; and (B) meets such other criteria as the Secretary may establish.

No applicants.

No applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

UA may submit one proposal to the Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE) Grants program.
For Education, Extension and Training (EET) Grants multiple submissions are allowed by different departments of eligible institutions. However, only one award will be granted per institution per year.

NIFA requests applications for the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) for fiscal years 2022 and 2023 to develop, implement and sustain veterinary services and relieve veterinary shortage situations in the United States and U.S. Insular Areas.

NIFA is soliciting applications under the following program areas:
1. Education, Extension and Training (EET) Grants
2. Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE) Grants

Grants will be made available on a competitive basis to:
1. Establish or expand accredited veterinary education programs, veterinary residency and fellowship programs, or veterinary internship and externship programs carried out in coordination with accredited colleges of veterinary medicine.
2. Provide continuing education and extension, including veterinary telemedicine and other distance-based education, for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and other health professionals needed to strengthen veterinary programs and enhance food safety and public health,
3. Cover travel and living expenses of veterinary students, veterinary interns, externs, fellows, and residents, and veterinary technician students attending training programs in food safety, public health, or food animal medicine.
4. To expose students in grades 11 and 12 to education and career opportunities in food animal medicine.
5. Expand or enhance private practice capabilities, services, and resources.
 

Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE) Grants
Program Area Priority –Rural Practice Enhancement grants will support the development and provision of veterinary services to substantially relieve designated rural (as defined in Part I, B.) veterinary shortage situations (as defined in the following section) in the United States and Insular areas and support education or extension needs of the area. Funds may be used for one or more of the following:

i. Equip veterinary offices. Applicants must explain how requested equipment will be used to provide veterinary care for agricultural animals in veterinarian shortage situations.

ii. Equipment purchases may include, but are not limited to animal restraints, diagnostic and therapeutic tools, such as chutes, imaging equipment, head gates, hoof trimming, breeding soundness examinations, etc.

iii. Share in reasonable costs of operating an eligible veterinary practice:

iv. Overhead costs may include but are not limited to salary and fringe benefits for veterinarian(s), support personnel, office rent, vehicle fuel supporting ambulatory services, maintenance contracts on equipment used to treat food animals, expendable medical and office supplies, computer software, utility expenses, and business consultant fees.

v. Establish mobile veterinary facilities. Mobile veterinary facilities include, but are not limited to a vehicle equipped to provide mobile veterinary services, mobile restraint devices, veterinary truck inserts, point of care testing equipment, etc.

vi. To support the exposure of students in grades 11 and 12 to education and career opportunities in food/large animal medicine and herd health management.

RPE applicants can only apply to serve one specific veterinary shortage situation area which can be located on the Veterinary Shortage Situation Map. It is imperative that applicants make a compelling case in their Project Narrative (See Part III, B (3)(b) of this RFA) describing how the equipment, mobile facilities, personnel, or other resources supported by the grant will contribute substantially toward the objectives and/or mitigation of the veterinary service needs described in the specific shortage situation area they are applying to serve.

No applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

Duplicate or Multiple Submissions – duplicate or multiple submissions are not allowed. NIFA will disqualify both applications if an applicant submits multiple applications that are duplicative or substantially overlapping to NIFA programs within the same fiscal year.

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) is America’s flagship competitive grants program that provides funding for fundamental and applied research, education, and extension projects in the food and agricultural sciences. In 2022, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) requests applications for the AFRI’s Education and Workforce Development program areas to support:
1. professional development opportunities for K-14 educational professionals;
2. non-formal education that cultivates food and agricultural interest in youth;
3. workforce training at community, junior, and technical colleges;
4. training of undergraduate students in research and extension;
5. fellowships for predoctoral candidates and postdoctoral scholars; and
6. special workforce development topics

Food and Agricultural Non-Formal Education (FANE) - A7801
Program Area Priority: 
Major advances in agricultural productivity and rural prosperity in the past have resulted from transformative technologies such as breeding tools and strategies, mechanization, and prudent use of agrochemicals. There are several emerging technologies that hold a similar promise. This program area priority will support content development and activities for non-formal education to foster development of technology-savvy youth. Projects must develop activities that cultivate interest and competencies in STEM and in food and agricultural sciences supported by the six Farm Bill Priority areas of AFRI. Data science, including artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics as well as gene editing, and biotechnology will be supported in this program area priority.

Food and Agricultural Non-formal Education (FANE) applications must address the following:

a. Develop content and activities to enhance youth’s understanding of gene editing, biotechnology, data science, artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, and other technologies that enhance the food and agricultural enterprise and prepares them to help meet the needs of the future workforce through enhanced non-formal education modules.

b. Develop outreach materials that clearly communicate the demonstrated benefits of agricultural technologies and biotechnology.

c. Should complement and build upon programs that have successfully demonstrated positive youth development strategies and outcomes (i.e., 4-H programming, Agriculture in the Classroom, FDA’s Agricultural Biotechnology Education and Outreach Initiative, etc.).

d. Involve youth in the design, execution, and evaluation of activities that lead to the development of consumer-friendly content that builds public confidence in the safe use of biotechnology in agriculture and the food system.

No applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

NIFA requests applications for the Higher Education Challenge (HEC) Grants Program for FY 2022 to enable colleges and universities to provide the quality of education necessary to produce baccalaureate or higher degree level graduates capable of strengthening the nation’s food and agricultural scientific and professional workforce.Specifically, applications submitted to this grants program must state how the funded project will address the HEC Program Goals:

1. To strengthen institutional capacities, including curriculum, faculty, scientific instrumentation, instruction delivery systems, and student recruitment and retention, to respond to identified State, regional, national, or international educational needs in the food and agricultural sciences, or in rural economic, community, and business development;
2. To attract and support undergraduate and graduate students in order to educate the students in national need areas of the food and agricultural sciences, or in rural economic, community, and business development;
3. To facilitate cooperative initiatives between two or more eligible institutions, or between eligible institutions and units of State government or organizations in the private sector, to maximize the development and use of resources such as faculty, facilities, and equipment to improve food and agricultural sciences teaching programs, or teaching programs emphasizing rural economic, community, and business development;
4.  To design and implement food and agricultural programs, or programs emphasizing rural economic, community, and business development, to build teaching, research, and extension capacity at colleges and universities having significant minority enrollments;
5.  To conduct undergraduate scholarship programs to meet national and international needs for training food and agricultural scientists and professionals, or professionals in rural economic, community, and business development; and
6. To increase the number and diversity of students who will pursue and complete a postsecondary degree in the food and agricultural sciences.
7. To enhance the quality of instruction for baccalaureate degrees, master’s degrees, and first professional degrees in veterinary sciences, in order to help meet current and future workforce needs in the food and agricultural sciences.
8. To conduct graduate and postdoctoral fellowship programs to attract highly promising individuals to research or teaching careers in the food and agricultural sciences.

Grant Types

1. Planning Activity: Planning Activity Grants support meetings that bring together food and agricultural educators to identify education/teaching needs, update information, or advance an area of education/teaching. Support for a limited number of meetings covering subject matter encompassed by this solicitation will be considered for partial or, if modest, total support. Individual planning activity grants must not exceed $30,000 for up to three years and are not renewable. Indirect costs are not permitted on Planning Activity grant awards. Planning Activity Grants may be used to facilitate strategic planning session(s) required of faculty, industry, professional association, community leaders, or other necessary participants for the specific purpose of developing a formal plan leading to a subsequent submission of a Collaborative Grant as described herein. A Planning Activity grant application may not be submitted in the same year for which a Collaborative Grant application for the same project is also submitted.
    
2. Standard Grant: Standard Grants support targeted original education/teaching projects. An eligible, individual institution, independent branch campus, or branch institution of a State system may submit a grant application for project activities to be undertaken principally on behalf of its own students or faculty, and to be managed primarily by its own personnel. The applicant executes the project without the requirement of sharing grant funds with other project partners. Applicants may request up to $150,000 (total, not per year) for a Standard Grant application.
   ​​​​​​
3. Collaborative Grants: Collaborative Grants support projects with at least one additional partner or a multi-partner approach to enhance education/teaching programs. Collaborative Grants should build linkages to generate a critical mass of expertise, skill, and technology to address education/teaching programs related to the food and agricultural sciences. Grants can reduce duplication of efforts and/or build capacity and should be organized and led by a strong applicant with documented project management knowledge and skills to organize and carry out the initiative.

• Collaborative Grant Type 1 (CG1) (Applicant + One Partner): Applicants may request up to $300,000 (total, not per year) for a CG1 project. In this type of project, the applicant executes the project with assistance from one additional partner. The partners must share grant funds. Specifically, the applicant institution will transfer at least one- half of the awarded funds to the other institution participating in the project.
   
• Collaborative Grant Type 2 (CG2) (Applicant + Two or more Partners): Applicants may request up to $750,000 (total, not per year) for a CG2 project. The applicant executes the project with assistance from at least two additional partners. The additional partners must share grant funds. The applicant institution/organization submitting a CG2 proposal must retain at least 30 per cent, but not more than 70 percent of the awarded funds and no cooperating entity may receive less than 10 percent of awarded funds. A CG2 project differs from a CG1 in project scope and impact. CG2 projects must support a multi- partner approach to solving a major state or regional challenge in food and agricultural sciences education at the baccalaureate, masters or DVM level. CG2 projects are characterized by multiple partners (each providing a specific expertise) organized and led by a strong applicant with documented project management knowledge and skills to organize and carry out the initiative.

No applicants // Limit: 1 // Tickets Available: 1 

Match Required – Applicants MUST provide matching contributions at minimum on a dollar-for-dollar basis for all Federal funds awarded under the MBT.

The primary goal and objective of the MBT program is to support the discovery and implementation of practical pest management alternatives to methyl bromide. The MBT program seeks to solve pest problems in key agricultural production and post-harvest management systems, processing facilities, and transport systems for which methyl bromide has been withdrawn or withdrawal is imminent.
 

Project Types:

1. Integrated projects focus on research for new alternatives and extension to encourage adoption and implementation of methyl bromide alternatives.

   Integrated project applications must identify and incorporate both research and extension goals into the proposed project. As a general guideline, no more than two thirds of the project’s budget should be devoted to either function. Extension efforts, such as field demonstrations, grower trials, workshops, and distributed information, should result in commercial awareness, understanding, and adoption of new technology and alternatives to methyl bromide fumigation. Economic analysis of the proposed new strategy must be an integral part of the project.

    

2. Extension-Only projects increase levels of adoption and implementation of pest management strategies by producers and growers.

   Extension-only projects facilitate the adoption and implementation of practices that will result in effective management of pests without the use of methyl bromide and will lead to measurable behavior changes in the identified audience or stakeholder group. Project proposals may include development of extension materials and information delivery systems for outreach efforts, conducting field-scale or on-farm demonstrations, or delivery of IPM extension outreach, and training.

   Recurrence of Opportunity: This call is repeated once a year.

H. Wilson

NIFA requests applications for the FSOP for fiscal year (FY) 2023 to develop and implement food safety training, education, extension, outreach and technical assistance projects that address the needs of owners and operators of small to mid-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially-disadvantaged farmers (7 CFR § 760.107) small processors, veteran farmers or ranchers, or small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers.

This RFA will solicit proposals for three project types:

1) Community Outreach Projects (award request: $80,000 - $150,000) - An additional $150,000 may be requested for Collaborative Engagement Supplements, for a total budget request of up to $300,000.

2) Collaborative Education and Training Projects (award request: $200,000 - $400,000) - An additional $150,000 may be requested for Collaborative Engagement Supplements, for a total budget request of up to $550,000.

3) Technical Assistance – Grant Writing Skills Projects (award request: $75,000 - $150,000) – An additional $150,000 may be requested for Collaborative Engagement Supplement, for a total budget request of up to $300,000.

Ticket #1: T. Hodges
Ticket #2: A. Dhar
Ticket #3: A. Lesenne

UArizona may submit three applications. The primary goal of the From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals Program (NEXTGEN) is to enable 1890 institutions, 1994 institutions, Alaska Native-serving institutions and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions (specifically, the certified Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities (HSACUs)), and insular area institutions of higher education located in the U.S. territories to build and sustain the next generation of the food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH) workforce including the future USDA workforce primarily through providing student scholarship support, meaningful paid internships, fellowships, and job opportunity matching, and also facilitating opportunities to learn the processes and pathways leading to training and employment in the federal sector.

R. Tronstad