The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is accepting applications for the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship (NNF) Grants Program to provide traineeship programs to eligible institutions for meeting the national need to develop scientific and professional expertise in the food and agricultural sciences.
Donor Name: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Fellowship
Deadline: 04/26/2022
Size of the Grant: $262,500
Grant Duration: 5 years
Details:
Propose and Priorities
The purpose of the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship (NNF) Grants Program, Assistance Listing 10.210, is to provide funding to support graduate student training and completion of master’s and/or doctoral degree programs in identified national need areas within the food and agricultural sciences. The overarching goals and objectives of these graduate fellowships are to encourage outstanding students to pursue and complete graduate degrees in the areas of food and agricultural sciences designated by NIFA as national needs. Awards made by the NNF program are specifically intended to support traineeship programs that engage outstanding students to pursue and complete their degrees in areas where there is a national need for the development of scientific and professional expertise in the food and agricultural sciences. NNF awards invest in graduate training and relevant international experiential learning for diverse individuals who demonstrate their potential to successfully complete graduate degree programs in disciplines relevant to the mission of the USDA. This may or may not include the teaching and preservation of traditional ecological knowledge.
NIFA is soliciting NNF applications in the following areas:
- Graduate Fellowships to support the training for and completion of master’s and doctoral degree programs in the food and agricultural sciences; and
- Special International Study or Thesis/Dissertation Research Travel Allowances (IRTA) for NEW eligible masters and doctoral USDA Fellows.
Working collaboratively with eligible institutions, the objectives of the NNF program are:
- To support the training of NEW students at the master’s and doctoral levels, in order to fill nationally identified expertise shortage areas in the food and agricultural sciences.
- To increase the number, quality, and diversity of students in the food, agricultural and related sciences by recruiting outstanding students, particularly those from traditionally underrepresented groups to enter and complete graduate training in these areas.
- To ensure that the National Needs Fellows build science competencies through research and extension activities, and experience and engagement in an international setting within the Targeted Expertise Shortage Area (TESA) in the food and agricultural sciences through the IRTA awards.
Funding Information
A single application may propose funding under any single TESA for any of the Award Categories listed below, either singly or in any combination, up to a maximum of $262,500 per application.
Applicants may not request partial fellowships.
- Standard Grant: Category No. 1
Master’s Level Training: Funding at $41,000 for each Fellow. This consists of a student stipend of $18,500 per year for two years, plus a $2,000 per year cost of education allowance ($4,000 maximum). - Standard Grant: Category No. 2
Doctoral Level Training: Funding at $79,500 for each Fellow. This consists of a student stipend of $24,500 per year for three years, plus a $2,000 per year cost of education allowance ($6,000 maximum). - Standard Grant: Category No. 3
Special International Study or Thesis/Dissertation Research Travel Allowances (IRTA): One-time award of up to $4,500 for each eligible new (i.e., to be recruited) USDA National Needs Master’s Fellow and/or a one-time award of up to $8,000 for each eligible new (i.e., to be recruited) USDA National Needs Doctoral Fellow.
Grant Period
The duration for successful applications under this RFA must not exceed 60 months.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants for the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship (NNF) Grants Program must meet all the requirements discussed in this RFA. Failure to meet the eligibility criteria by the application deadline may result in exclusion from consideration or, preclude NIFA from making an award. For those new to Federal financial assistance, NIFA’s Grants Overview provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process.
- Only the following are eligible to apply: Land-grant institutions, Colleges and universities having significant minority enrollments and a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food and agricultural sciences; and other colleges and universities having a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food, and agricultural sciences. Research foundations maintained by an eligible college or university are eligible to submit graduate training proposals under this RFA. Award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project. Failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the application deadline may result in the application being excluded from consideration or, even though an application may be reviewed, will preclude NIFA from making an award.
- Applicants should be institutions that confer a graduate degree in at least one of the TESAs listed. Awards are made to eligible colleges and universities. Individuals are not eligible to apply for these grants to support their graduate education.
- Successful applications must select and identify Fellows and award Fellowships within eighteen (18) months of the start date of a grant. Post-doctoral Fellowships will not be awarded under this grant announcement.
- Institutions that fail to meet this deadline will be required to refund monies associated with unawarded Fellowships to NIFA.
- Graduate fellowship appointments must be awarded only to registered students who are pursuing full-time study in graduate programs in the TESA and at the degree level supported by the grant.
- Applicants may not request partial fellowships.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
