National Institute of Food and Agriculture · Department of Agriculture
Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowships
Key facts
- Deadline
- Due Oct 15, 2026 · 8 days left
- Award size
- $78K – $705K
- Total available
- $14M · about 28 awards
- Match ?
- Not required · Work out your budget and match
- Who can apply
- Set by the official notice: see Who can apply below
- Where
- Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee
How this fits you
- Available in Rhea County (nationwide program)
- No match required
- Only 8 days left to apply
Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.
Official notice: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/75f811fc-1478-42ec-b72a-06c96c4ede29 · Printed from grantme.click/grants/080345fc-13c7-4525-b2f7-d35a99b5a0a4
View on Grants.gov Add deadline to my calendar
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About this grant
The purpose of the NNF program, Assistance Listing 10.210, is to provide funding to support new graduate (master’s, DVM, or doctoral) student training and completion of degree programs to develop human capital to participate in meeting the mission of the USDA to increase the pipeline of domestic agricultural students. The NNF program offers funding for eligible full-time students pursuing graduate studies at the master’s, DVM, or doctoral levels within the food and agricultural sciences. The NNF program awards institutional grants to offer funding for eligible full-time students pursuing graduate studies at the master’s, DVM, and/or doctoral levels within the food and agricultural sciences. Fellows must be new graduate students (‘new’ is defined in Part III A); and citizens, nationals, or permanent residents of the United States. Awards made by the NNF program are specifically intended to support graduate programs that engage outstanding students who are citizens, nationals, or permanent residents of the United States of America to pursue and complete their degrees in areas where there is a need for the development of scientific and professional expertise in the food and agricultural sciences. NNF awards invest in graduate training and relevant experiential learning for individuals who demonstrate their potential to successfully complete graduate degree programs in disciplines relevant to the mission of the USDA.
Who can apply, from the official notice
Applicants for the NNF program must meet all the requirements discussed in this NOFO. 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 About Grants provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process.
1. Applicant Eligibility
Land-grant Institutions and other colleges and universities having a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food and agricultural sciences and confer a graduate degree in at least one discipline or area of food and agricultural sciences are eligible to apply. Institutions offering degrees should be accredited by an agency or association recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Research foundations maintained by an eligible college or university are eligible.
Award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply, provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project.
Individuals are not eligible to apply for these grants to support their own graduate education.
2. Student Eligibility
The awarded institutions develop selection criteria for graduate students in the NNF application, and it is the awarded institution’s responsibility to provide fellowships to high-caliber students in superior academic standing according to the developed criteria.
For individuals to receive fellowship stipend support through the NNF Program, they must:
i. Be citizens, nationals, or permanent residents of the United States of America as determined in accordance with Federal law;
ii. Have strong interest, as judged by the institution, in pursuing a degree in food and agriculture-relevant disciplines; are preparing for a career as a food or agricultural or natural resources scientist or professional; and are registered as full-time students; and
iii. Not have completed more than one semester or equivalent hours of full-time study as defined by the institution in the same academic program at the same degree level.
Successful applicants must select and identify fellows and award fellowships within 18 months of the start date of the award. Institutions that fail to meet this deadline will be required to refund monies associated with unawarded...
Your schedule, working back from the deadline
- Oct7
Check that your SAM.gov registration is active (or start it now)
Grants.gov: allow up to 10 business days for SAM registration, weeks or months if information isn't verified. It must be renewed every year. Grants.gov - Sep24
Ask partners for letters of support or commitment (already past: do it now)
Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters. - Oct8
Finish a complete draft for a final review
Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft. - Oct13
Submit
Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog - Oct15
Deadline
From the funder.
Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.
Writing the need statement? Rhea County facts with citations.
What the official notice requires
Pulled from the official notice FY26-NNF-NOFO.pdf (34 pages) so you can see the requirements at a glance. Each item shows the notice's own words. Open the page to read it in context.
Registrations you need first (1)
Grants.gov · p. 14
“The electronic application for this NOFO and additional resources are available on Grants.gov and Grants 101.” Open page 14
The deadline is in 8 days. If your registration isn't already active, it may not be ready in time, so check it today. Get-ready checklist
What to submit
Resumes or bios of key staff · p. 13
“A Fellow who finds it necessary to interrupt his/her program of study because of health, personal, or other reasonable non-academic and non-disciplinary cause(s) must be allowed to resume funded study at any time within six months of the interruption,…” Open page 13
Form SF-424 · p. 15
“Part IV Provide an accurate email address, where designated, on the SF-424 R&R.” Open page 15
Project abstract or summary · p. 15
“The Project Summary/Abstract must show how the project goals align with the project goals of the NNF and is limited to two pages.” Open page 15
Timeline or schedule of completion · p. 16
“Give a concise overview of training plans to accomplish project goal(s) for the area of focus; include measurable targets, in a specified timeline, to meet proposed objectives. 3.” Open page 16
Letters of support or commitment · p. 18
“If recruiting from specific colleges and universities, include institutional letters of support from them.” Open page 18
Data management plan · p. 22
“Title the attachment “Data Management Plan” in the document header and save file as “DataManagementPlan.” A DMP is required for this program.” Open page 22
Length limits
Word limit (see quote): 250 words max · p. 16
“Include an abstract of no more than 250 words that is a clear description of the project proposed, succinctly providing information about its major features and a specific description of the activities to be undertaken. 1.” Open page 16
Page limit (see quote): 20 pages max · p. 16
“The project narrative shall not exceed 20 pages of written text, inclusive of figures and tables.” Open page 16
Report: 20 pages max · p. 17
“Progress Report (if applicable, maximum of two pages, and does not count against the 20-page limit for the PN):” Open page 17
Formatting rules
12-point font, 1-inch margins, double-spaced · p. 16
“Formatting shall be 1-inch margins, no smaller than 12-point font (Times New Roman or similar), and double-spaced.” Open page 16
Cost share or match
Cost share / match · p. 13
“Cost Sharing or Matching No Match Required - The NNF program has no matching requirement.” Open page 13
Dates in the notice
October 15, 2026 · p. 9
“Standard Grants Application Deadline October 15, 2026 Grant Duration: 60 months Anticipated # of Awards: 28 Minimum Award Amount: $78,000 Maximum Award Amount: $705,000” Open page 9
About the federal program
Higher Education National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants, also called “Institution Challenge, Multicultural Scholars & Graduate Fellowships Grant Program (Graduate Fellowships)”
Program number 10.210 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture · Project grant
How applications are judged
(1) The degree to which the proposal clearly establishes that the proposed program of graduate training will result in the development of outstanding scientific/professional expertise related to the national need area and in a reasonable period of time;
(2) the degree to which the proposed program of study reflects special features such as a combination-disciplinary, approach (inter-disciplinary, multi-disciplinary or cross-disciplinary), a unique collateral specialization in a related discipline, experimental learning opportunities, a unique mentoring program, seminars, or a multi-university collaborative approach;
(3) the degree to which the proposal establishes that the institution's faculty, facilities and equipment, instructional support resources, and other attributes are excellent for providing outstanding graduate study and research at the forefront of science and technology related to the chosen area of national need;
(4) the degree to which the institution's plans and procedures for recruitment and selection of academically outstanding fellows and for monitoring and facilitating fellow's progress through a program of study reflect excellence as documented in the proposal;
(5) the degree to which supporting summary data substantiate program quality in the targeted national need area;
(6) the quality of the proposal as reflected by its substantive content, organization, clarity, and accuracy; and
(7) any additional evaluation criteria as cited in the annual...
Match
None required (federal program listing).
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal year 2025: Program not competed in FY 2025.