U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Higher Education - Institution Challenge Grants Program
Key facts
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- 1 grant
- 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...
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- Higher Education Challenge Grants Program · Due Oct 15, 2026 · 8 days left
What it pays for
The purpose of the Higher Education Challenge Grants Program, under assistance listing 10.217, is to strengthen institutional capacities, including curriculum, faculty, scientific instrumentation, instruction delivery systems, and student recruitment and retention, to respond to identified state, regional, national, or international educational needs in the food and agricultural sciences, or in rural economic, community, and business development.
Who can apply
Applicants for the HEC must meet all the requirements discussed in this NOFO. Applications may be submitted by:
1. U.S. public or private nonprofit colleges and universities offering a baccalaureate or first professional degree in at least one discipline or area of the food and agricultural sciences;
2. land-grant colleges and universities, (including land grant institutions in the Insular Areas);
3. colleges and universities having significant minority enrollments and a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food and agricultural sciences; and
4. other colleges and universities having a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food and agricultural sciences.
How applications are judged
Within guidelines established for the program as described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The most current NOFOs are available via:
https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/higher-education-challenge-hec-grants-program
Match
None required (federal program listing).
Who in Tennessee has won this program
5 awards to Tennessee groups since 2019 · 0 in Rhea County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $740K | 2024 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | $342K spent that year | 2025 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $150K | 2024 |
| University of Tennessee | Chattanooga, Hamilton County | $134K | 2021 |
| University of Tennessee | Martin, Weakley County | $28K | 2019 |
Source: USAspending.gov, 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. 4 pass-through grants on file · 0 in Rhea County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Through | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | The Trustees of Purdue University | $92K spent that year | 2024 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | University of Florida | $4,040 spent that year | 2023 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Oklahoma State University | $3,385 spent that year | 2025 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Purdue University | $2,716 spent that year | 2023 |
Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).