GrantQuick

agriculture · USDA-NIFA

Research Facilities Act Program

National Institute of Food and Agriculture · USDA-NIFA-OP-011980

Closed

Award Range

$100K$30.0M

Total Program Funding

$121.1M

Expected Awards

30

Deadline

July 24, 2026

GRANTQUICK SUMMARYPlain-English Overview

USDA's Research Facilities Act Program funds 30 grants (up to $30M each!) for constructing, renovating, or improving agricultural research facilities at colleges/universities. Major capital funding for labs, greenhouses, animal facilities, and research infrastructure.

Who Should Apply

Colleges and universities (especially land-grant institutions) with agricultural research programs needing facility construction or renovation.

Who Should NOT Apply

Non-academic institutions, organizations without agricultural research programs.

Key Requirements (Plain English)

  • Must construct/renovate agricultural research facilities
  • 30 awards up to $30M each
  • Must be a college or university
  • No cost-sharing required

💡 GrantQuick Tip

30 awards of up to $30M is extraordinary capital funding. If your ag research building is 50 years old with outdated labs, this is your opportunity. Show how new facilities will enable research that current facilities cannot support. Architectural plans and cost estimates strengthen applications.

Competitiveness: Moderate — 30 awards for colleges. Institutions with documented facility deficiencies and shovel-ready plans succeed.

What This Grant Funds

The RFAP is listed in the Assistance Listings under number 10.246. RFAP is designed to provide financial assistance to qualifying institutions for the construction, alteration, acquisition, modernization, renovation, or remodeling of agricultural research facilities to conduct research in the fields of food and agricultural sciences (as defined in 7 U.S.C. 3103, see Appendix III for definition).

Attachments

Who Can Apply

Applicants for the RFAP must meet all the requirements discussed in this NOFO. Failure to meet the eligibility criteria by the application deadline may result in exclusion from consideration or preclude NIFA from making an award. For those new to Federal financial assistance, NIFA’s About Grants provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process.Applications may be submitted by:1. 1994 Land-Grant Institutions2. State Agricultural Experiment Stations3. 1862 Land-Grant Institutions4. Accredited school or college of veterinary medicine or State Agricultural Experiment Station that conducts animal health and disease research in accordance with section 1433(c) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3195)5. 1890 Land-Grant Institutions6. Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU) as defined in 7 U.S.C. 31037. Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA) - Institutions satisfying the eligibility requirements for NLGCA designation.8. Insular Area Institutions-Institution of higher education, as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1995 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a).9. Institutions eligible for "McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Act" (16 U.S.C. 582a et seq.)10. Other entities eligible to receive funds under a capacity and infrastructure program (as defined in section 6971(f)(1)(C)). See Appendix IV under capacity and infrastructure programs.USDA will not accept competitive applications for grants and cooperative agreements submitted for dangerous gain-of-function research, as defined in Section 8 of E.O. 14292.Duplicate or Multiple Submissions – An eligible institution may not submit more than one application to this program as a lead institution. This includes applications from subordinate units under a parent institution. Additionally, eligible recipients may only receive funds for one award at a time. Recipients with active RFAP awards are not eligible to receive additional RFAP awards. Prospective applicants are advised to contact their institutional sponsored projects office regarding processes used to select proposals for submission.Institutions that have received congressionally directed funding for research facility projects are not excluded from participation in this program. Such institutions may submit applications and compete for additional projects under this competitive funding opportunity.

Eligible Applicant Types

Other (see NOFO for details)

Funding Details

Minimum Award
$100K
Maximum Award
$30.0M
Total Program Funding
$121.1M
Expected Number of Awards
30
Cost Sharing Required?
No
Funding Instrument
grant

Key Dates

Posted: June 15, 2026
Application Deadline: July 24, 2026 (0 days remaining)

Agency Contact

NIFA Support Email grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov Business hours: Monday thru Friday, 7a.m. – 5p.m. ET, except federal holidays

grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov

Ready to apply?

View the full NOFO and submit your application on Grants.gov