Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Image of children holding vegetables, courtesy of Adobe Stock

Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants Program

The purpose of the SPECA program is to award grants to; enhance curricula in agricultural education, increase faculty teaching competencies, interest young people in pursuing higher education in order to prepare for scientific and professional careers in the food and agricultural sciences, promote the incorporation of agriscience and agribusiness subject matter into other instructional programs, particularly classes in science, business, and consumer education, facilitate joint initiatives by the grant recipient with other secondary schools, institutions of higher education that award an associate degree, and institutions of higher education that award a bachelor's degree to maximize the development and use of resources, such as faculty, facilities, and equipment, to improve agriscience and agribusiness education, support other initiatives designed to meet local, State, regional, or national needs related to promoting excellence in agriscience and agribusiness education; and support current agriculture in the classroom programs for grades K–12.

Dates may vary. Please see NOFO for exact details.
Reasonable Accommodation

If you need a reasonable accommodation to access information related to this grant opportunity, please contact the Information Contact listed on this page no later than ten (10) days before the closing date.  If you need a reasonable accommodation for the webinar or event related to this grant opportunity, please contact the event host.

Language Access Services

NIFA offers language access services, such as interpretation and translation of vital information, free of charge. If you need interpretation or translation services, please visit NIFA Language Access Services and request service no later than ten (10) days before the closing date.

Eligibility
Other or Additional Information (See below)
More Information on Eligibility

Applications may only be submitted by: (1) public secondary schools; (2) public or private nonprofit junior and community colleges; (3) institutions of higher education; or (4) nonprofit organizations. (Attach IRS 501(c)(3) status under R&R ‘Other Project Information’ Field 12 Other Attachments.)

Posted Date
For more Information Contact
Closing Date
Contact for Electronic Access Problems
Funding Opportunity Number
USDA-NIFA-CSPECA-32938
Assistance Listing Number
10.226
Estimated Total Program Funding
$750,000
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement
No Match Required
Range of Awards
$10,000 - $150,000
Percent of Applications Funded
16%
Page last updated: July 8, 2026

Your feedback is important to us.

Take the Website Survey