Grants / Department of Agriculture / National Institute of Food and Agriculture

USDA-NIFA-BFR-011336: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program

Closed Closed June 16, 2026 Opportunity USDA-NIFA-BFR-011336 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of National Institute of Food and Agriculture notices from 2026.

• Award ceiling$750,000
• Award floor$49,999
• Total funding$44.4 million
• Cost sharingRequired
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Applicants for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) 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 a collaborative state, tribal, local, or regionally based network or partnership of qualified public and/or private entities. These collaborations may include the following entities: State Cooperative Extension Services; federal, state, municipal or tribal agencies; community-based organizations (CBOs); non-governmental organizations (NGOs); junior and four-year colleges or universities or foundations maintained by a college or university; and private for-profit organizations. Collaboratives led by State Cooperative Extension Services; federal, state, municipal or tribal agencies will be given funding priority. Application submission of a project effort that is a duplicate of a current beginning farmer project will not be accepted for review under this program. Incorporating beginning and/or non-beginning farmers and ranchers as part of the collaborative group is strongly encouraged. Applications submitted by individuals, or by organizations that do not involve other entities in a network or partnership, are not eligible for consideration under any category applicable to the BFRDP and will be excluded from review. To meet regional balance, multiple awards will not be made to the same organization, institution, or Project Director in the same calendar year. Further, organizations and institutions that have received a regular standard or education team grant in the last funding cycle (FY 2024) are ineligible to apply. To avoid chances of Project Directors providing oversight on two BFRDP grants concurrently, Project Directors of active awards can apply for new BFRDP awards when they are in their final year of project work. It is unallowable to have a new project and at the same time have a project that has not yet been terminated. Please do not apply for another simplified standard grant if you were previously awarded a simplified standard BFRDP grant. Simplified standard grants are designed for new trainers who have never received grants nor gained more than three years of experience in assisting with the development of beginning farmers and ranchers. Failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the application deadline may result in the application being excluded from consideration or, if reviewed, will preclude NIFA from making an award. Award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project. USDA will not accept competitive applications for grants proposals for dangerous gain-of-function research, as defined in Section 8 of E.O. 14292. Duplicate or Multiple Submissions. NIFA will accept the most recent application if an applicant submits duplicate or multiple submissions. For those new to federal financial assistance, NIFA’s Grants Overview provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program awards averaged $444,440; this notice allows up to $750,000 per award.
• Most of the program's money (66% over five years) went to nonprofits.
• The notice requires cost sharing or matching funds, so you must contribute part of the project cost.

What the grant funds

The primary goal of BFRDP, under assistance listing number 10.311, is to help beginning farmers and ranchers in the United States and its territories enter and/or improve their successes in farming, ranching, and management of nonindustrial private forest lands, through support for projects that provide education, outreach, and technical assistance to give beginning farmers and ranchers the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations and enhance their sustainability.

Category: Agriculture.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.