AFRI Education and Workforce Development (EWD)

AFRI Education and Workforce Development

Supports agricultural education pathways with grants for fellowships, community college programs, and workforce training in United States food systems.

The AFRI Education and Workforce Development program, administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, funds fellowships, training programs, and workforce development grants targeting the agricultural and food sciences pipeline. The FY2026 NOFO was posted January 20, 2026 and closes December 31, 2026. Sub-codes within the program cover predoctoral fellowships (A7101, deadline April 16, 2026), postdoctoral fellowships (A7201, deadline April 30, 2026), agricultural workforce training at community colleges (A7601, deadline March 19, 2026), professional development for agricultural literacy (A7501, deadline March 19, 2026), research and extension experiences for undergraduates (A7401, deadline March 19, 2026), and food and agricultural non-formal education (A7801, deadline March 19, 2026). The Education and Workforce Development Workshop Grants sub-code (A7001) is accepted on a continuous basis year-round.

Eligibility varies by sub-code. Predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowship tracks target individual graduate students and postdoctoral researchers affiliated with universities. Community college workforce training sub-codes require an accredited community college or similar institution as lead applicant. Research foundations, nonprofits with agricultural education missions, and research organizations are eligible for the non-formal education sub-codes. For-profit organizations are not eligible. Individual U.S. citizens may apply for fellowship sub-codes directly. Award amounts are not publicly specified in available materials and must be confirmed in the sub-code NOFO or by contacting the relevant NIFA National Program Leader.

Applications are submitted via Grants.gov. Most March and April 2026 sub-code deadlines have passed for the current cycle; the postdoctoral fellowship (A7201, April 30, 2026) and the workshop grants continuous submission track (A7001) remain relevant for the current cycle window. The master NOFO closing date of December 31, 2026 governs the workshop grants track. Organizations planning FY2027 applications should note that EWD NOFOs have historically been posted in January and follow the same sub-code structure.