Overview
The Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA) Program supports eligible institutions in maintaining and expanding their capacity to conduct education, research, and outreach activities relating to food, agriculture, and natural resources. The goals of the NLGCA program are to:
- strengthen the capacity of NLGCA Institutions to develop infrastructure to carry out agricultural research, teaching and outreach activities
- enhance the ability of faculty members to engage in agricultural professional development opportunities
- increase the number and quality of qualified graduates entering the food and agricultural workforce.
The NLGCA program supports the economic vitality of rural communities by funding new degree programs in food, agriculture, and renewable resources sciences that emphasize new and emerging employment opportunities.
NLGCA Certification Requirement
Non-Land-grant institutions must first be certified by the NLGCA program to be eligible to apply for NLGCA program funds. To be eligible for this program, an institution must satisfy the requirements for NLGCA designation, request the designation, and be certified by NIFA. Please visit the NLGCA Eligibility Flow Chart resource to determine whether an institution is eligible for consideration as a NLGCA, as defined in the 2018 Farm Bill. The request for designation form can be found on the Request for NLGCA Designation resource page. To view a list of certified NLGCA Institutions, visit the NLGCA List.
Eligibility
Applications may only be submitted by a NIFA-certified Non-Land-grant College of Agriculture designated as such at the time of application. Applicants may collaborate with and make subawards to organizations not eligible to apply to this grants program, providing such organizations are necessary for completing project objectives.
See Part III, A. Eligibility of the NOFO for all eligibility requirements.
Update to Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities and McIntire-Stennis Eligibility
Section 7102 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 amended the definition of NLGCA. This definition no longer excludes Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges or universities and McIntire-Stennis colleges and universities.
