Frequently Asked Questions

The primary goal of the From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals Program (NextGen) is to enable 1890 institutions, 1994 institutions, Alaska Native-serving institutions and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions and insular area institutions of higher education located in the U.S. territories to build and sustain the next generation of the food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH) workforce including the future USDA workforce primarily through providing student scholarship support, meaningful paid internships, fellowships, and job opportunity matching, and also facilitating opportunities to learn the processes and pathways leading to training and employment in the federal sector.  

By developing the next generation of a highly skilled workforce for food and agricultural sciences, the NEXTGEN Program is aligned with the following USDA Strategic Goals FY 2022- 2026: 

• Strategic Goal 5: Expand Opportunities for Economic Development and Improve Quality of Life in Rural and Tribal Communities; 
• Strategic Goal 6: Attract, Inspire, and Retain an Engaged and Motivated Workforce that’s Proud to Represent USDA. 

This work further supports the National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality, USDA’s Equity Action Plan and the President’s Management Agenda.

USDA awarded $262.5 million across 33 projects in June 2023. Awards range from $2.3 million to $20 million depending on project type, geographic reach, and number of partners.

Projects are led by 1890 Land-grant Institutions (Historically Black Land-grant Universities), 1994 Land-grant Institutions (Tribal Colleges and Universities), Alaska Native-serving Institutions and Native Hawaiian-serving Institutions, Hispanic-serving Institutions, and institutions of higher education located in the Insular Areas. Most projects collaborate with other minority-serving institutions and a myriad of other partners, including other colleges and universities, non-profit organizations, as well as state and USDA agencies.

Explore NextGen projects by location through the NextGen Project Dashboard.

NextGen projects are student-centered and directly student learning and success. Projects support three main activities: 

• Scholarships and Fellowships: Reducing financial barriers for student recruitment, retention, and graduation from associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs. 
   
• Experiential Learning Opportunities: Supporting paid domestic or international internships and apprenticeships that provide job shadowing, hands-on learning, and peer-to-peer engagement for students to put academic knowledge into action and develop job-ready skills.
          
• Outreach and Engagement: Raising awareness, expanding or dispelling traditional views of agriculture and public service, and exposing learners to possible food and agriculture careers.

NextGen supports 36+ disciplines, including:
Agricultural Business
Agricultural Commodities
Agricultural Management
Agricultural Marketing
Agronomy
Animal Science
Archaeology
Biological Sciences
Chemistry
Computer Sciences and Information 
Technology
Contracting and Procurement
Crop Insurance Administration
Economics
Engineering and Architecture
Food Safety
Forestry and Natural Resource Management
Geology and Hydrology
International Trade
Mathematics and Statistics
Nutrition
Plant Pathology and Physiology
Program Management and Analysis
Public Affairs
Public Health
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Soil Sciences and Conservation
Veterinary Medicine
Wildlife Biology
and other disciplines supportive of food and agricultural sectors.

NextGen Student Summits provide opportunities for students funded through the program to come together in the National Capital Region for three days of professional development trainings, career exploration sessions, networking opportunities with leadership across USDA. The events also include special experiential learning opportunities to explore identity and inclusion in food, agriculture, and the environment. 

Read about NextGen Summit impacts. 

The NextGen program was competed in 2022, with awards announced in 2023. NIFA does not have any information at this time regarding future Requests for Applications for the NextGen program.

Section 1006 of the American Rescue Plan Act, as amended by Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act (Pub.L 117-169) authorizes the United States of Agriculture (USDA), to provide funding for 1890 institutions, 1994 institutions, Alaska Native-serving institutions and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions, and insular area institutions of higher education located in the U.S. territories to support and supplement agricultural research, education, and extension, as well as scholarships and programs that provide internships and pathways to Federal employment.

Contact the NIFA NextGen Team at NIFA.workforce@usda.gov with general inquiries.