Higher Education National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants (10.210)
Higher Education National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants (Assistance Listing 10.210) is run by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, part of the Department of Agriculture. It awarded $18.3 million in 82 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $223,603 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $241,000. Half of the 82 awards fell between $238,500 and $258,044, and they ranged from $82,000 to $311,531.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$18.3 million
- Grant awards82
- Typical award$241,000
- Awarded in FY 2025$3.0 million
- Size rank1,342 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceProject grants
Key findings
- Annual funding fell from $9.1 million in fiscal 2021 to $3.0 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 1342nd largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 73% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 36 states and territories.
What the program funds
Awards are specifically intended to support traineeship programs that engage outstanding students to pursue and complete their degrees in USDA mission areas. Applicants provide clarity about the philosophy of their graduate training, and relevance to USDA mission sciences, NIFA priorities and national science education policies and statistics.
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
Proposals may be submitted by all U.S. colleges and universities that confer a master's or doctoral degree in at least one area of the food and agricultural sciences targeted for national needs fellowships. As defined in Section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as amended (7 U.S.C. 3103), the terms "college" and "university" mean "an educational institution in any State which: (a) Admits as regular students only persons having a certificate of graduation from a school providing secondary education, or the recognized equivalent of such a certificate; (b) is legally authorized within such State to provide a program of education beyond secondary education; (c) provides an educational program for which a bachelor's degree or any other higher degree is awarded; (d) is a public or other nonprofit institution; and (e) is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association."
What the money can and cannot pay for
USES: Competitive annual grants providing for a limited number of graduate stipends are awarded to selected U.S. institutions of higher education so as to distribute support for graduate study to promising food and agricultural scientists and professionals. Individuals selected initially by the institution must enroll in a program leading to a graduate, master's or doctoral degree in one of the targeted national needs areas of the food and agricultural sciences. Such persons may not have been enrolled previously in the program at the same degree level. Current fellows are eligible to receive supplemental grants of $3,000 to cover travel and living expenses for special international study or thesis/dissertation research experiences. Funding for the supplemental grants will be awarded on a competitive basis using no-year funds drawn from expired fellowship grants with unspent funds remaining as set forth in the annual program guidelines. RESTRICTIONS: No Indirect Cost (IDC). IDC is not authorized for this RFA. Indirect costs are not allowed for the program. Since Indirect Costs and F&A (Facilities and Administrative) are essentially the same costs using different terms, both are unallowable on this grant award.
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
If minimum or maximum amounts of funding per competitive and/or capacity project grant, or cooperative agreement are established, these amounts will be announced in the annual Competitive Request for Application (RFA). The most current RFA is available via: https://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/food-and-agricultural-sciences-national-needs-graduate-and-postgraduate
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: Program not competed in FY 2025.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Higher Education National Needs Graduate Fellowship Grants (10.210) awarded $18.3 million across 82 grant awards, an average of $223,603 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University | Virginia | 5 | $1.2 million |
| University of Florida | Florida | 4 | $970,662 |
| North Carolina State University | North Carolina | 4 | $946,659 |
| Oklahoma State University | Oklahoma | 4 | $888,784 |
| The Pennsylvania State University | Pennsylvania | 4 | $854,843 |
| Auburn University | Alabama | 3 | $767,977 |
| Oregon State University | Oregon | 3 | $745,155 |
| The University of Kentucky Research Foundation | Kentucky | 3 | $742,177 |
| Michigan State University Foundation | Michigan | 3 | $713,739 |
| Purdue University | Indiana | 3 | $695,593 |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Michigan | 2 | $525,000 |
| Regents of the University of Minnesota | Minnesota | 3 | $522,541 |
| University of Connecticut Health Center | Connecticut | 2 | $508,500 |
| The Ohio State University | Ohio | 2 | $492,735 |
| Chapman University | California | 2 | $492,000 |
| Cornell University | New York | 2 | $483,801 |
| Kansas State University | Kansas | 2 | $482,000 |
| Colorado State University | Colorado | 2 | $455,138 |
| University of California, Davis | California | 2 | $431,037 |
| University of Arkansas | Arkansas | 2 | $427,500 |
Who usually wins
Colleges and universities received 95% of the money, nonprofits 0.8%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colleges and universities | 76 | $17.3 million | 95% |
| Other | 4 | $854,532 | 4.7% |
| Nonprofits | 2 | $141,444 | 0.8% |
By state
4 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards. They are Michigan, Virginia, Florida and California.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 5 | $1.2 million |
| Virginia | 5 | $1.2 million |
| Florida | 5 | $1.2 million |
| California | 5 | $1.2 million |
| Indiana | 4 | $958,093 |
| North Carolina | 4 | $946,659 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | $888,784 |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | $854,843 |
| Oregon | 3 | $745,155 |
| Kentucky | 3 | $742,177 |
| Texas | 3 | $740,690 |
| Alabama | 3 | $719,953 |
| Arkansas | 3 | $666,000 |
| Minnesota | 3 | $522,541 |
| Connecticut | 2 | $508,500 |
| Ohio | 2 | $492,735 |
| New York | 2 | $483,801 |
| Kansas | 2 | $482,000 |
| Colorado | 2 | $454,599 |
| North Dakota | 1 | $262,500 |
| Maine | 1 | $259,000 |
| Hawaii | 1 | $246,000 |
| West Virginia | 1 | $241,000 |
| Montana | 1 | $238,500 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | $238,500 |
| Arizona | 1 | $235,833 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | $235,196 |
| South Carolina | 1 | $232,875 |
| Utah | 1 | $224,959 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | $218,190 |
| Missouri | 1 | $216,343 |
| Tennessee | 1 | $211,128 |
| Washington | 1 | $208,701 |
| Idaho | 1 | $173,832 |
| Iowa | 1 | $108,013 |
| Illinois | 1 | $87,708 |