Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program
National Institute of Food and Agriculture · Department of Agriculture
At a glance
Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program is an open federal grant opportunity from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Department of Agriculture). Applications are due November 10, 2026. Individual awards are listed as $30K – $750K, with $5.7M in total estimated funding. Applicant types listed as eligible include others (see notice). Cost sharing is not required. It is funded under Assistance Listing 10.326 (Capacity Building for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA)).
Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.
Key facts
- Aug 26, 2026Posted
- Nov 10, 2026Application deadlinenext date
- Dec 10, 2026Archived
- Posted
- Aug 26, 2026
- Close date
- Nov 10, 2026
- Archive date
- Dec 10, 2026
- Award floor
- $30,000
- Award ceiling
- $750,000
- Est. total funding
- $5,700,000
- Expected awards
- Not specified
- Cost sharing
- Not required
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Opportunity category
- Discretionary
Who can apply
- Others (see notice)
Additional information on eligibility (from the notice)
Applicants for the NLGCA Program 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 only be submitted by an NLGCA certified as such by NIFA at the time of application. A current list of NLGCAs certified by NIFA can be found on the NLGCA Program webpage or the NLGCA List webpage. Section 7102 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 removed the opt-in, opt-out language that had previously required Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACU) and McIntire-Stennis Colleges and Universities to relinquish that status if they wanted to pursue NLGCA designation (See Part I, A for legislative authority). There are no longer any such limitations, and HSACUs as well as McIntire-Stennis Colleges and Universities may request NLGCA designation. Non-land-grant colleges and universities may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply, provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project. All institutions certified as NLGCA prior to December 21, 2018, must reapply for certification and meet the new criteria for NLGCA certification contained in the Federal Register Notice. In order for an institution to qualify as a NLGCA, it must be a public college or university offering a baccalaureate or higher degree in the study of agricultural sciences, forestry, or both, among the 32 specified Areas of Study: Agricultural and domestic animal services; agricultural and extension education services; agricultural and food products processing; agricultural business and management; agricultural communication or agricultural journalism; agricultural economics; agricultural engineering; agricultural mechanization; agricultural production operations; agricultural public services; agriculture; animal sciences; applied horticulture or horticulture operations; aquaculture; equestrian/equine studies; floriculture or floristry operations and management; food science; forest sciences and biology; forestry; greenhouse operations and management; international agriculture; natural resource economics; natural resources management and policy; natural resources or conservation; ornamental horticulture; plant nursery operations and management; plant sciences; range science and management; soil science; turf and turfgrass management; urban forestry; and wood science and wood products or pulp or paper technology. If you are not sure if you are eligible to request NLGCA designation, please consult the NLGCA Eligibility Flow Chart.
- Public colleges & universities
- Private colleges & universities
A quick check against the listed applicant types — other requirements in the notice still apply.
Based on the published notice. Review the official notice for complete eligibility requirements.
What it funds
Official synopsis as published by the agency, formatted for readability.
The NLGCA Program, under assistance listing number 10.326, will assist NLGCA institutions in maintaining and expanding their capacity to conduct education, research, outreach, and integrated activities relating to agriculture, renewable resources, and other similar disciplines. NLGCA institutions may use the funds to maintain and expand capacity:
1. to successfully compete for funds from Federal grants and other sources to carry out educational, research, outreach, and integrated activities that address priority concerns of national, regional, State, and local interest;
2. to disseminate information relating to priority concerns to:
a. interested members of the agriculture, renewable resources, and other relevant communities;
b. the public; and
c. any other interested entity;
3. to encourage members of the agriculture, renewable resources, and other relevant communities to participate in priority education, research, outreach, and integrated activities by providing matching funds to leverage grant resources, and through:
a. the purchase or other acquisition of equipment and other infrastructure (not including alteration, repair, renovation, or construction of buildings);
b. the professional growth and development of the faculty of the NLGCA Institution; and
c. the development of graduate assistantships.
Full announcement & documents
The full announcement has the complete rules — page limits, required attachments, evaluation criteria and any letter-of-intent dates. Files download directly from Grants.gov.
How to apply
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Assistance Listing
What is an ALN?Reported obligations under ALN 10.326
Historical data · not a predictionAgency contact (as published)
Joseph Perez Lead Policy Analyst
grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov
202-445-5402
Quick answers
When is the deadline for “Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program”?
According to the official notice, applications are due November 10, 2026. Confirm the deadline and submission time on Grants.gov before applying.
Who is eligible to apply for “Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program”?
The official notice lists these applicant types as eligible: Others (see notice). Additional restrictions may apply; review the full notice.
How much funding is available through “Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program”?
Per the notice, individual awards are listed as $30k – $750k and total estimated program funding is $5,700,000.
How do I apply for “Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program”?
Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity USDA-NIFA-NLGCA-011938), and review the full announcement and application package. Organizations applying through Grants.gov generally need an active SAM.gov registration and a Grants.gov account, which can take several weeks to set up.
Related open opportunities
Matched on shared Assistance Listings, agency, categories and eligible applicant types.
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