Federal grant programs / Department of Agriculture

Payments to Agricultural Experiment Stations Under the Hatch Act (10.203)

Also known as Hatch Act ; The Hatch Act of 1887; The Hatch Act of 1887 (Regular Research); The Hatch Act of 1887 (Multistate Research Fund)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$1.2 billion
• Grant awards575
• Typical award$1.4 million
• Awarded in FY 2025$245 million
• Size rank234 of 1824
• Type of assistanceFormula grants

Key findings

• Annual funding was roughly flat, $243 million in fiscal 2021 and $245 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 234th largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 57% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 57 states and territories.

What the program funds

To assist State Agricultural Experiment Stations, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Insular Areas in conducting agricultural research programs. These activities are broad and include research on all aspects of agriculture, including soil and water management and use; plant and animal production, protection, and health; processing, distribution, safety, marketing, and utilization of food and agricultural products; forestry, including range management and range products; multiple use of forest rangelands, and urban forestry; aquaculture; home economics and family life; human nutrition; rural and community development; molecular biology; and biotechnology. Research may be conducted on problems of local, State, regional, or national concern. Not less than 25 percent of the total Hatch Act of 1887 (7 U.S.C. 361c(c)(3)) funding is allotted to the states for cooperative research employing multidisciplinary approaches in which a State agricultural experiment station, working with another State agricultural experiment station, the Agricultural Research Service, or a college or university, cooperates to solve problems that concern more than one state. These funds are designated as the “Multistate Research Fund.” Funds are allocated on a pro rata basis, and allocations are adjusted to support national and regional projects. These projects and their associated budgets are reviewed and approved annually.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

The following list of State Agricultural Experiment Stations located in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Insular Areas in accordance with the Hatch Act of 1887 (7 U.S.C. 361a-i) are eligible for this program. Award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply provided the subcontracts are necessary for the conduct of the project. Failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the time of application deadline may result in the application being excluded from consideration, or even though an application may have been reviewed, will preclude NIFA from making an award. 1. University of Alaska Fairbanks 2. Auburn University 3. University of Arkansas 4. American Samoa Community College 5. University of Arizona 6. University of California 7. Colorado State University 8. University of Connecticut 9. Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station 10. University of the District of Columbia 11. University of Delaware 12. University of Florida 13. University of Georgia 14. University of Guam 15. University of Hawaii 16. Iowa State University 17. University of Idaho 18. University of Illinois 19. Purdue University 20. Kansas State University 21. University of Kentucky 22. Louisiana State University 23. University of Massachusetts 24. University of Maryland 25. University of Maine 26. Michigan State University 27. University of Minnesota 28. University of Missouri 29. Northern Marianas College 30. Mississippi State University 31. Montana State University 32.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

What the money can and cannot pay for

The purpose of Hatch Regular Research Fund is to conduct agricultural research programs at State Agricultural Experiment Stations in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Insular Areas. Hatch activities are broad and include research on all aspects of agriculture, including soil and water conservation and use; plant and animal production, protection, and health; processing, distribution, safety, marketing, and utilization of food and agricultural products; forestry, including range management and range products; multiple use of forest rangelands, and urban forestry; aquaculture; home economics; human nutrition; rural and community development as it relates to agriculture; sustainable agriculture; and molecular biology and biotechnology inasmuch as work can contribute to agricultural advancements. Research may be conducted on issues of local, state, regional, or national concern. 1.) Regular Research Fund may only be used on approved Hatch projects, which could include Hatch Multistate Research Fund projects (if funding from the award has been expended). 2.) In accordance with section 1473 of NARETPA (7 U.S.C. 3319), indirect costs and tuition remission are unallowable as Hatch Regular Research Fund capacity grant expenditures. Further, costs that are a part of an institution's indirect cost pool (e.g., administrative, or clerical salaries) may not be reclassified as direct costs for the purpose of making them allowable.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Matching requirements

Statutory Formula: Title 7, Part 361, Subpart c,Public Law 110-234.7 U.S.C. 361c(d)(1)A one-to-one match is required. See the Program NOFO for specific information about the required match, exceptions to the requirement, and match waiver information.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

See the annual RFAs and the Capacity Program Distribution Schedules webpage for more information.

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2025: - Molecular Determinants of Mucosal Infection and Persistence of Zoonotic Viruses - Improving Berry Crop Production Systems to Meet Current Needs and Challenges in the Mid-Atlantic Region - An integrated genetic-diversity resource combining wild- and cultivated-source lineages of leatherleaf fern Rumohra adiantifolia - Leveraging the evolutionary ecology of legume-rhizobia mutualism to maximize yields and ecosystem services - Towards the development of sustainable approaches to managing turfgrass insect pests - Diversify the Corn Silage-Ryelage Production System to Stabilize Forage Yield and Improve Forage Quality with a Smaller Environmental Footprint - Dissecting the Genetic Basis for Negative Correlations Between Plant Growth, Yield, and Stress Resilience - Evaluation of Promising Abies Seed Sources for U.S. Christmas Tree and Nursery Production

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Colleges and universities received 99% of the money, state and local governments 0.3%.

By state

Each state below has its own page for this program, with its recipients and yearly totals.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.