The Equipment Grant Program is designed to strengthen the fundamental and/or applied research capacity and extension of institutions by funding the purchase of one shared-use piece of equipment.
Donor Name: National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/25/2026
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 4 Years
Details:
The EGP, Assistance Listing, serves to increase access to shared special-purpose equipment/instruments for scientific research for use in the food and agricultural sciences programs in the Nation’s institutions of higher education, including State Cooperative Extension Services. The program seeks to improve the quality and expand the scope of fundamental and applied research at eligible institutions by providing organizations with opportunities to acquire equipment/instruments that support the research, training, and extension goals of the organization and extension agents both within and outside the proposing organization.
Proposals to the EGP are for the acquisition of a single, well-integrated piece of equipment/instrument. Well-integrated research instrument” means that the ensemble of equipment that defines the instrument enables specific fundamental or applied research experiments in the food and agricultural sciences, including data science and data systems. The acquired equipment may be a well-integrated ensemble that requires more than one component to enable a specific fundamental or applied research experiment in the food and agricultural sciences programs to be undertaken. Separating or removing an element or component of such an integrated instrument would preclude any experiments from occurring or succeeding. Requests for computer equipment are allowed only if the equipment is part of a well-integrated instrument and used to enhance an activity integral to the proposed project.
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is committed to advancing these principles and encourages applicants to actively engage farmers, ranchers, and foresters when applying for funding opportunities to ensure relevancy and adherence to them. NIFA also encourages agricultural leaders to engage in the peer review panel process to ensure American producers are better served through research, education, and extension activities.
Projects submitted under this NOFO should align with USDA Secretary’s Memorandum 1078-020 Directive on Departmental Research and Development Priorities:
- Increasing Profitability of Farmers and Ranchers
- Expanding Markets and Creating New Uses of U.S. Agricultural Products
- Protecting the Integrity of American Agriculture from Invasive Species
- Promoting Soil Health to Regenerate Long-Term Productivity of Land
- Improving Human Health through Precision Nutrition and Food Quality
Funding Information
- The amount available for the EGP in FY 2026 is approximately $2,800,000
- Minimum Award Amount: $25,000
- Maximum Award Amount: $500,000
Grant Period
48 Months
Eligibility Criteria
The following entity(ies) may apply to this NOFO: Organizations.
- College or University
- In general.–The terms “college” and “university” mean an educational institution in any State, the District of Columbia, and any insular area which: (i) admits as regular students only persons having a certificate of graduation from a school providing secondary education, or the recognized equivalent of such a certificate; (ii) is legally authorized within such State to provide a program of education beyond secondary education; (iii) provides an educational program for which a bachelor’s degree or any other higher degree is awarded; (iv) is a public or other nonprofit institution; and (v) is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association.
- Inclusions.–The terms “college” and “university” include a research foundation maintained by a college or university described in subparagraph (A).
- State Cooperative Institution, including:
- 1862 and 1890 Land-grant institutions
- State-certified schools of forestry as stipulated in accordance. (the McIntire-Stennis Act of 1962)
- State Agricultural Experiment Stations located in the 50 States, the District of Columbia and the Insular Areas in accordance.
- “Cooperative extension services” meaning the organizations established at the Land-grant Colleges and Universities under the Smith-Lever Act of the Act of October 26, 1974.
- Accredited schools or colleges of veterinary medicine or State Agricultural Experiment Stations that conduct animal health and disease research in accordance of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977
- Hispanic-serving Institutions as defined.
- Eligible institutions in insular areas including, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and the Virgin Islands of the United States.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
