Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Contact Us
Farmers looking at laptop. Image courtesy of Getty Images

About Grants

Grants Process

NIFA awards research funding through a combination of competitive grants and funds allocated to states under statutory formulas. The lifecycle of grants and cooperative agreements consists of four phases: Pre-Award, Award, Post-Award, and Close Out. NIFA’s Office of Grants and Financial Management provides support and guidance for award recipients during each of these phases. 

Grant Lifecycle Phases

Pre-Award

The Pre-Award phase begins with the announcement of funding opportunities for grants and involves the preparation, submission, and review of proposals to those announcements.

SEARCH

Search for grant and cooperative agreements

Search for grant

APPLY

Apply for a grant at Grants.gov

Apply for a grant

REVIEW

NIFA reviews your application

Upcoming Application Deadlines

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Education and Workforce Development

Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program

Specialty Crop Research Initiative

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Foundational and Applied Science Program

Agriculture Risk Management Education Partnerships Competitive Grants Program

Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program

Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program

Methyl Bromide Transition Program

Food Safety Outreach Program

Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative

See All Deadlines
Take Action

Manage a Grant

In the post-award phase of the grant process, awardees work in partnership with NIFA to ensure proper stewardship of federal funds. This includes monitoring project activities for compliance with program requirements and submitting all required reports.

Learn More
Take Action

NIFA Reporting System

NIFA has established the NIFA Reporting System (NRS) in collaboration with Land-Grant Universities and other partners. This tool provides data management and reporting for capacity funded research projects and Extension programs.

Learn More
Take Action

Close a Grant

The award Close-Out phase is the final phase in the grant lifecycle. The Close-Out phase ensures that all administrative actions and required work have been completed by the recipient institution and by NIFA.

Learn More
Take Action

Grants Process

The grants process provides an overview of the life cycle for competitive, non-competitive, and capacity grants. Understanding the life cycle of the award process can help you determine actions you may be responsible for within each step and can be a useful planning tool in preparing for Pre-Award, Award, and Post-Award activities.

Learn More
Reasonable Accommodation
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is committed to ensuring that its programs and services are accessible to all individuals, including individuals with disabilities and individuals with limited English proficiency. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in any NIFA event, please contact the appropriate Program staff no later than 10 days prior to the event. To find Program staff by event, please visit the NIFA Calendar of Events. NIFA Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to limited English proficient individuals upon request. If you need interpretation or translation services please visit NIFA language services or contact Lois Tuttle, Equal Opportunity Specialist, at Lois.Tuttle@usda.gov or (443) 386-9488 no later than 10 days prior to the event.
Return to top

Your feedback is important to us.

Take the Website Survey