AFRI Foundational and Applied Science
Supports agriculture innovation across plant health, bioenergy, food safety, and rural systems through USDA research grants and extension.
The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Foundational and Applied Science program, administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture under Funding Opportunity Number USDA-NIFA-AFRI-011134, is the federal government's largest competitive grants program for agricultural science. The FY2026 program allocates $300 million across six statutory priority areas established by the Farm Bill: Plant Health and Production and Plant Products; Animal Health and Production and Animal Products; Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health; Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment; Agriculture Systems and Technology; and Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities. The program funds research-only, extension-only, and integrated research, education, and extension projects.
Individual awards range from $10,000 to $10,000,000. The program is organized into more than 40 sub-codes corresponding to specific scientific focus areas, each carrying its own deadline. Most sub-code deadlines fell between December 4, 2025 and April 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time; the master NOFO closes December 31, 2026. Three sub-codes accept applications on a continuous basis throughout the year: A7001 (Education and Workforce Development Workshop Grants), A1713 (Rapid Response to Emerging and Re-emerging Pest and Disease Events), and A1712 (Rapid Response to Weather Events Across Food and Agricultural Systems). The NOFO was modified on November 14, 2025 (Modification 1).
Eligible applicants include land-grant institutions (1862, 1890, and 1994 Act), state agricultural experiment stations, nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations, small businesses, and individuals who are U.S. citizens or nationals. Hispanic-Serving Institutions are also listed as eligible. Additional restrictions apply to integrated project applicants and must be verified in the sub-code NOFO. No cost sharing is required. Applications are submitted via Grants.gov. Competitive proposals identify a specific sub-code priority area, articulate a clear scientific hypothesis or extension goal, and demonstrate team qualifications and feasibility of outcomes within the requested budget.
Competitive research, extension, and integrated grants across six Farm Bill priority areas — plant health, animal health, food safety, bioenergy, agriculture systems and technology, and rural communities.
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