Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI)

Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative

Supports organic agriculture through research, education, and extension grants that strengthen resilient farm systems and marketing.

The Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative, administered by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, funds high-priority integrated projects that enhance the ability of organic producers and processors to improve production practices, marketing, and farm system resilience. The program is funded annually under the Farm Bill and is one of the few NIFA competitive programs with a mandatory cost-share requirement: applicants must provide a 100 percent non-federal match, meaning every federal dollar must be matched with a dollar from non-federal sources. The program carries an approximately 33 percent funding success rate, making it one of the higher-probability competitive programs in the NIFA portfolio.

The FY2026 cycle was funded at $66 million, with individual award amounts ranging from $5,000 to $3,500,000. The FY2026 application deadline was May 14, 2026, and that cycle is now closed. The FY2027 cycle is expected to be posted in spring 2027. Funding opportunity numbers for the FY2026 cycle were USDA-NIFA-D113A-32357, USDA-NIFA-D113A-32481, and USDA-NIFA-D113A-32483. The program requires integrated projects combining research with education and/or extension components.

Eligible applicants include land-grant institutions (1862, 1890, and 1994 Act), state agricultural experiment stations, colleges and universities, research foundations, federal agencies, national laboratories, private organizations, individuals who are U.S. citizens or nationals, and collaborative groups. Projects must focus specifically on organic agriculture, defined around organic production systems, marketing, and farm system resilience. Applicants should plan carefully for the 100 percent non-federal match, as uncommitted matching funds are a common reason for application failure. Organizations targeting the FY2027 cycle should monitor nifa.usda.gov for the new NOFO posting expected in spring 2027.