Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Education and Workforce Development

What the official notice requires

Pulled from the official notice FY26-AFRI-EWD-NOFO-P.pdf (49 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.

Award size and project length

• Award amounts here are per year · p. 22

  “Including institutional allowance: $180,000 total per project and are limited to a total of $60,000 per year for the following: 1) Up to $35,000 per year salary or stipend 2) Up to $22,000 per year for other expenditures (e.g. tuition, fees, fringe benefits,…” Open page 22

Registrations you need first (1)

• Grants.gov · p. 35

  “The electronic application for this NOFO and additional resources are available on Grants.gov and Grants 101.” Open page 35

Registration is free but can take weeks, so start now, not when the deadline is close. Get-ready checklist

Steps before the deadline

• Letter of intent · p. 2

  “Education and Workforce Development Workshop Grants (A7001) Continuous throughout the year but at least 210 days before the start of the workshop and upon invitation after submission of a Letter of Intent at least 255 days before the workshop begins. 1 All…” Open page 2

• Loi · p. 5

  “The LOI must be submitted a minimum of 255 days before the start of the workshop.” Open page 5

• Loi · p. 28

  “The LOI must be submitted a minimum of 255 days before the workshop begins. b.” Open page 28

• Loi · p. 33

  “The LOI (if required) and the application must include a letter indicating how the institution is independent of the main campus, either through accreditation or administration, how the institution is eligible for a Strengthening Grant, and total Federal…” Open page 33

What to submit

• Timeline or schedule of completion · p. 16

  “AWT applicants must design their proposal based on the focus area that best fits their project’s goals, objectives, and timeline.” Open page 16

• Evaluation plan · p. 21

  “A comprehensive evaluation plan with measurable outcomes is required.” Open page 21

• Form SF-424 · p. 36

  “Part IV Provide an accurate email address, where designated, on the SF-424 R&R.” Open page 36

• Budget narrative / justification · p. 37

  “Budget Justification This is not an exhaustive list of required items; it only serves to highlight items that may be overlooked.” Open page 37

• Project abstract or summary · p. 37

  “Failure to include any of the three critical required documents of Project Summary/Abstract, Project Narrative, or Bibliography & References Cited sections as PDF attachment will result in the application not being reviewed or considered for funding by NIFA.” Open page 37

Cost share or match

• Cost share / match · p. 34

  “Match not required – If the applied research or integrated project with an applied research component is not commodity specific or is national in scope, then no match is required.” Open page 34

Dates in the notice

• April 16, 2026 · p. 23

  “April 16, 2026 Documentation from the graduate advisor or the institution must be provided by the application deadline.” Open page 23

• January 1, 2023 · p. 26

  “Fiscal Year 2026 competition: no earlier than January 1, 2023, and no later than January 30, 2027.” Open page 26

• June 20, 2025 · p. 33

  “USDA will not accept competitive applications for grants and cooperative agreements submitted for due dates after June 20, 2025, and/or research and development (R&D) contract proposals submitted to solicitations issued after June 20, 2025, for dangerous…” Open page 33

Mistakes that get applications rejected (4)

• Could get your application rejected: Requests exceeding budgetary guidelines will not be reviewed. b. · p. 13

  “Requests exceeding budgetary guidelines will not be reviewed. b.” Open page 13

• Could get your application rejected: Applications for scientific workshops that exclusively focus on disseminating the findings of fundamental... · p. 28

  “Applications for scientific workshops that exclusively focus on disseminating the findings of fundamental or applied research or advancing areas of science unrelated to education, workforce training, or career development will not be accepted.” Open page 28

• Could get your application rejected: Requests exceeding budgetary guidelines will not be reviewed. 2. · p. 29

  “Requests exceeding budgetary guidelines will not be reviewed. 2.” Open page 29

• Could get your application rejected: NIFA will disqualify both applications if an applicant submits multiple applications that are duplicative... · p. 33

  “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.” Open page 33