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Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program

ID: USDA-NIFA-NLGCA-010975 • Type: Posted

Description

Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program (NLGCA) Institutions may use the funds: (a) to successfully compete for funds from Federal grants and other sources to carry out educational, research, and outreach activities that address priority concerns of national, regional, State, and local interest; (b) to disseminate information relating to priority concerns to interested members of the agriculture, renewable resources, and other relevant communities, the public, and any other interested entity; (c) to encourage members of the agriculture, renewable resources, and other relevant communities to participate in priority education, research, and outreach activities by providing matching funding to leverage grant funds; and (d) through: (1) the purchase or other acquisition of equipment and other infrastructure (not including alteration, repair, renovation, or construction of buildings); (2) the professional growth and development of the faculty of the NLGCA Institution; and (3) the development of graduate assistantships.

Background
The Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program (NLGCA) is administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), part of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program aims to assist Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture in enhancing their capacity to conduct education, research, and outreach activities related to food and agricultural sciences.

The goal is to address priority concerns at national, regional, state, and local levels while promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) within these institutions.

Grant Details
The NLGCA grants can be used for various purposes including:
1. Competing for federal grants and leveraging resources for educational, research, and outreach activities;
2. Disseminating information on priority concerns to relevant communities;
3. Encouraging participation in education and outreach activities through matching funds;
4. Purchasing equipment and infrastructure (excluding building construction);
5. Supporting faculty development;
6. Developing graduate assistantships;
7. Building collaborations with other institutions and organizations.

The program supports projects that incorporate innovative agricultural technologies such as data science, robotics, and gene editing.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants must be certified Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture by NIFA at the time of application. Institutions must offer a baccalaureate or higher degree in agricultural sciences or forestry. There are no matching requirements for this grant program.

Period of Performance
The period of performance varies by grant type:
- Planning/Conference grants last 24-36 months;
- Regular grants last 24-36 months;
- Collaborative-Joint grants last 36-48 months;
- Large-scale Comprehensive Initiatives last 36-48 months.

Grant Value
The total anticipated funding for FY 2025 is approximately $5,700,000 with individual award amounts varying by grant type:
- Planning Conference grants up to $30,000;
- Regular grants up to $150,000;
- Collaborative-Joint grants up to $300,000;
- Large-scale Comprehensive Initiative grants up to $750,000.

Place of Performance
The grant activities will be performed at eligible Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture across the United States.

Overview

Category of Funding
Agriculture
Funding Instruments
Grant
Grant Category
Discretionary
Cost Sharing / Matching Requirement
False
Source
On 9/20/24 the National Institute of Food and Agriculture posted grant opportunity USDA-NIFA-NLGCA-010975 for Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program with funding of $5.7 million. The grant will be issued under grant program 10.326 Capacity Building for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA). It is expected that 20 total grants will be made worth between $150,000 and $750,000.

Timing

Posted Date
Sept. 20, 2024, 12:00 a.m. EDT
Closing Date
Nov. 15, 2024, 12:00 a.m. EST Due in 31 Days
Last Updated
Sept. 20, 2024, 3:03 p.m. EDT
Version
1
Archive Date
Dec. 15, 2024

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Additional Info
Eligibility Requirements Applicants for the NLGCA must meet all the requirements discussed in this RFA. Failure to meet the eligibility criteria by the application deadline may result in exclusion from consideration or, preclude NIFA from making an award. For those new to Federal financial assistance, NIFA’s Grants Overview provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process. Applications may only be submitted by a Non-Land Grant College of Agriculture (NLGCA) certified as such by NIFA at the time of application. A current list of NLGCAs certified by NIFA can be found at the NLGCA List Resource webpage. Section 7102 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 removed the opt-in, opt-out language that had previously required Hispanic Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU) and McIntire-Stennis Colleges and Universities to relinquish that status if they wanted to pursue NLGCA designation. There are no longer any such limitations. Award recipients may subaward to organizations not eligible to apply to this grants program, providing such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project. All institutions certified as NLGCA prior to December 21, 2018, must reapply for certification and meet the new criteria for NLGCA certification contained in the Federal Register Notice. In order for an institution to qualify as a NLGCA, it must be a public college or university offering a baccalaureate or higher degree in the study of agricultural sciences, forestry, or both, which is any of the 32 specified Areas of Study: Agricultural and domestic animal services; Agricultural and extension education services; Agricultural and food products processing; Agricultural business and management; Agricultural communication or agricultural journalism; Agricultural economics; Agricultural engineering; Agricultural mechanization; Agricultural production operations; Agricultural public services; Agriculture; Animal sciences; Applied horticulture or horticulture operations; Aquaculture; Equestrian/Equine Studies; Floriculture or floristry operations and management; Food science; Forest sciences and biology; Forestry; Greenhouse operations and management; International agriculture; Natural resource economics; Natural resources management and policy; Natural resources or conservation; Ornamental horticulture; Plant nursery operations and management; Plant sciences; Range science and management; Soil science; Turf and turfgrass management; Urban forestry; and Wood science and wood products or pulp or paper technology. If you are not sure if you are eligible to request NLGCA designation, please consult the NLGCA Eligibility Flow Chart. To request that NIFA provide certification of NLGCA status, an Authorized Representative must go to the Non-Land-Grant University designation webpage and submit an NLGCA Certification Memo indicating the institution meets the NLGCA qualifications. Within 30 days of submission, NIFA will provide the administrative point of contact specified on the request, with a certification of NLGCA designation or a response indicating why the request for certification is being denied. For the purposes of this program, the individual branches of a college or university that are separately accredited as degree-granting institutions as indicated per the Official List of Certified Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture, are treated as separate institutions, and are therefore eligible to apply for NLGCA Program awards. Separate branches or campuses of a college or university that are not individually accredited as degree-granting institutions are not treated as separate institutions and are therefore not eligible to apply. Accreditation must be conferred by an agency or association recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

Award Sizing

Ceiling
$750,000
Floor
$150,000
Estimated Program Funding
$5,700,000
Estimated Number of Grants
20

Contacts

Contact
Joseph Perez Program Analyst
Email Description
Click here if you have any questions related to preparing application content.
Contact Phone
(202) 445-5402
Additional Information
https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/funding-opportunities/capacity-building-grants-non-land-grant-colleges-agriculture-program

Documents

Posted documents for USDA-NIFA-NLGCA-010975

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