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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. 

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

AWARD

The Award phase involves making funding decisions and notifying awardees of their selection for a grant.

RESPONSE

Applicants are notified of the funding decision

PROCESSING

NIFA reviews, approves, and sends award documents to awardees

POST-AWARD

The Post-Award phase involves setting up accounts in the financial payment system and monitoring awardees for compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and submission of required reports.

PAYMENTS

Awardee sets up an account in the Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system to receive funding

MONITORING

Awardee and NIFA each monitor grant activities to ensure compliance with specific program policies, regulations, and required reporting, including annual accomplishments reports

CLOSE OUT

The close-out phase of the grant lifecycle involves the submission, review, and approval of all final reports as required by specific program policies and regulations.

REPORTING

Awardee submits the final federal financial report and final technical report

REVIEW AND APPROVAL

NIFA reviews and approves final financial and technical reports for regulatory compliance and quality of final technical accomplishment descriptions

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.
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