USDA: Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is seeking applications for the Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants Program.

Donor Name: U.S. Department of Agriculture

State: All States

County: All Counties

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 04/05/2023

Size of the Grant: up to $50,000 and up to $150,000

Grant Duration: 3 years

Details:

Purpose and Priorities

The purpose of the Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants (SPECA) program is to award grants to:

• Enhance curricula in agricultural education
• Increase faculty teaching competencies
• Interest young people in pursuing higher education in order to prepare for scientific and professional careers in the food and agricultural sciences
• Promote the incorporation of agriscience and agribusiness subject matter into other instructional programs, particularly classes in science, business, and consumer education
• Facilitate joint initiatives by the grant recipient with other secondary schools, Institutions of higher education that award an associate degree, and institutions of higher education that award a bachelor’s degree to maximize the development and use of resources, such as faculty, facilities, and equipment, to improve agriscience and agribusiness education
• Support other initiatives designed to meet local, State, regional, or national needs related to promoting excellence in agriscience and agribusiness education
• Support current agriculture in the classroom programs for grades K–12

Project Category

Each project must support academic instruction with a primary focus in at least one of the following three K-14 Grade Levels:

• K-8 grade levels: Projects with a specific focus on any of the academic grades Kindergarten through eight.
• Secondary School: Projects with a specific focus on any of the academic grades 9 through 12.
• Junior or Community College: Projects with a specific focus on associate degree level (2- year postsecondary) activities.

Funding Information

The amount available for SPECA in FY 2023 is approximately $900,000. USDA is not committed to fund any particular application or to make a specific number of awards.

• Project Types. Applicants must propose one of three types of projects: Regular, or Collaborative Type 1.
  • Regular Project
    • Applicants may request up to $50,000 (total, not per year) for a Regular Grant.
    • Applicant executes the project without the requirement of sharing grant funds with other project partners.
  • Collaboration Project (Applicant + One or more Partners)
    • Applicants may request up to $150,000 (total, not per year) for a Collaboration Project.
    • Applicant executes the project with assistance from at least one additional partner.

Grant Duration: 24-36 month

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants for the SPECA must meet all the requirements discussed in this RFA. Applications may only be submitted by:

• public secondary schools,
• public or private nonprofit junior and community colleges,
• institutions of higher education,
• nonprofit organizations.

School boards are not eligible as legal recipients of the award.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.