U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Grants for Agricultural Research, Special Research Grants
Key facts
- Open now
- None right now
- Closed for this year
- 1 grant, next round estimated
- Type of help
- Project grant
- Typical award
- If minimum or maximum amounts of funding per competitive and/or capacity project grant, or cooperative agreement are established, these amounts will be announced in the annual Competitive Request for Application...
Closed for this year
This year's round is over. GrantMe estimated the next round from last year's dates.
- Supplemental and Alternative Crops · Next round: about May 8 – Jun 25, 2027 Estimate, not confirmed by the funder
What it pays for
To carry out research, to facilitate or expand promising breakthroughs in areas of the food and agricultural sciences of importance to the nation and to facilitate or expand on-going State-Federal food and agricultural research programs.
Programs Listed under 10.200 are:
1. Global Change Ultraviolet Radiation Monitoring and Research Program (GC/UV-B)
2. Special Research Grants Program Potato Breeding Research
Who can apply
Special Research Grants: State agricultural experiment stations, all colleges and universities, other research institutions and organizations, Federal agencies, private organizations or corporations and individuals having a demonstrable capacity to conduct research activities to facilitate or expand promising breakthroughs in areas of the food and agricultural sciences of importance to the United States.
How applications are judged
Within guidelines established for the program as described in the Competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The most current NOFOs are available as follows:
Global Change Ultraviolet Radiation Monitoring and Research Program (GC/UV-B):
https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/global-change-ultraviolet-radiation-monitoring-and-research-program
Special Research Grants Program Potato Breeding Research:
https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/potato-breeding-research
Match
None required (federal program listing).
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal year 2025: Phase I Award examples:
1. A Portable Situational Awareness Toolset for Wildfires Suppression and Team Management
2. Squalene Produced from US Soybeans
3. A Nickel-Binding Feed Additive for Improved Feed Efficiency & Productivity in Cattle
4. Cost-effective Monitoring Platform for Optimal Nutrient Application
5. Innovative Food Processing Utilizing Whole Apples to Produce a Novel Drink, Reducing Food Waste and Enhancing Nutritional Value
6. AMA: An AI-Driven Special Education Support Platform for Education in Rural Communities.
7. Induced polyploidization in larviparous oysters: Developing a commercially viable Hawaiian oyster
8. Consolidated Bioprocessing of Corn Stover to Ethanol Augmented by Spontaneous Particle Expansion Cotreatment
9. Improving Small Farm Profitability Using Directed Energy Weed Management
10. Cotton Picker Spindle Design and Manufacturing Processes
There were no FY25 Phase II awards issued.
Who in Tennessee has won this program
1 award to Tennessee groups since 2024. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | $15K spent that year | 2025 |
Source: Federal Audit Clearinghouse.
Tennessee groups that got this money through a state agency or another organization
This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. 1 pass-through grant on file. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Through | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | University of Florida | $12K spent that year | 2025 |
Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).