The Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program is designed to assist 1994 Land-Grant Institutions (Tribal Colleges) in building institutional research capacity through applied projects that address student educational needs and meet community, reservation or regional challenges.
Donor Name: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/31/2025
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: 5 Years
Details:
Grant Types
Collaborative Grant: A Collaborative Grant supports projects with at least one additional partner or a multi- partner approach to enhance research programs. Collaborative Grants should build linkages domestically and internationally to generate a critical mass of expertise, skill, and technology to address research programs related to the food and agricultural sciences. Grants can reduce duplication of efforts and/or build capacity and should be organized and led by a strong applicant with documented project management knowledge and skills to organize and carry out the initiative.
- 1994 Research Capacity Center ($3,000,000 maximum dependent on available funding) grant will build a focused area of strategic research among multiple 1994 institutions. A minimum of three other 1994 institutions should benefit from this grant type. This Collaborative Grant Type aims to build the research capacity among 1994 institutions through funding the expansion of research by using innovative approaches to increase the ability of the 1994 institutions to conduct groundbreaking focused research. This can be done by partnering with organizations, such as the Agriculture Research Service or other established research institutions. These institutions could provide research scientists, including postdoctoral fellows, research faculty, visiting scientists or Federal scientists, that would be located at the 1994s to help expand research capacity, teach courses at the 1994s, mentor undergraduate students, etc. Research Sabbaticals to conduct research and/or gain research skills and experience at 1994’s is encouraged. Collaboration with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium is highly encouraged. Establishing undergraduate research opportunities must be part of this Grant Type and a mentoring plan is recommended. Projects incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge are highly encouraged. A data management plan that indicates how indigenous knowledge within the 1994 will be protected is required. This Grant Type should be focused on developing sustainable funded research including improving research grantsmanship, increasing scholarly publications and participation in professional societies. This Collaborative Grant Type should focus on preparing students for graduate level research and building graduate level programs at the 1994’s.
- Area of Expertise ($650,000 maximum) grant seeks to enhance existing research completed or nearly completed for TCRGP New Discovery and Applied Faculty/Community grants that have been awarded in the past five years or enhance the area of expertise at the institution that has been funded by other sources. It is designed for 1994 Land-grants that have, or are developing, focused areas of expertise in one or more of the food and agricultural sciences or Traditional Ecological Knowledge. This grant is intended to support a research endeavor where existing research, extension, and education resources have already developed some level of expertise in an area that is important to their students and communities. The maximum amount of this grant is $650,000.
- New Discovery ($350,000 maximum) projects should be on a level of research complexity that could lead to an enhancement in the body of scientific knowledge and problem-solving on relevant Tribal issues. Projects based around Traditional Ecological Knowledge are encouraged. Applicants are expected to possess appropriate research capacity and faculty expertise to conduct scientific inquiry. Research undertakings should be at a standard where results may help solve problems of a regional, state, or national level. New Discovery projects are also required to offer meaningful research including Traditional Ecological Knowledge involvement for 1994 students. The maximum amount for a New Discovery application is generally $350,000 total for the entire project period. Subscriptions to professional journals are encouraged.
- Applied Faculty/Community ($150,000 maximum) funds faculty, community, and student research that addresses practical tribal community needs and opportunities. Investigations should result in knowledge or best practices useful to the Tribal community and readily available to college extension offices, teaching faculty, and community development organizations. Research may be on skillful adaptations of existing knowledge to address unique community needs requiring a culturally sensitive approach.
- Conference Grants ($150,000 Maximum) would host groups of 1994s, partners, and other organizations and Federal agencies to address the needs of Tribal Communities and help to spur scientific inquiry. Cost of the grant can include airfare, hotel, and conference location and materials in the budget.
Project Types
- Research Projects: Single-function Research Projects support fundamental or applied research conducted by individual investigators, co-investigators within the same discipline, or multidisciplinary teams. Fundamental research means research that: (i) increases knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and has the potential for broad application, and (ii) has an effect on agriculture, food, nutrition, or the environment.
- Applied research means research that includes expansion of the findings of fundamental research to uncover practical ways in which new knowledge can be advanced to benefit individuals and society. Multi-disciplinary projects are those in which investigators from two or more disciplines collaborate closely to address a common problem. These collaborations, where appropriate, may integrate the biological, physical, chemical, or social sciences.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $5,000,000
- Award Ceiling: $3,000,000
- Award Floor: $150,000.
Grant Period
60 months.
Eligibility Criteria
Applications may only be submitted by Tribal Colleges or Universities designated as 1994s under the Equity Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301, as amended).
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
