Higher Education - Institution Challenge Grants Program (10.217)
Higher Education - Institution Challenge Grants Program (Assistance Listing 10.217) is run by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, part of the Department of Agriculture. It awarded $19.4 million in 71 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $272,909 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $150,000. Half of the 71 awards fell between $146,796 and $509,878, and they ranged from $21,232 to $750,000.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$19.4 million
- Grant awards71
- Typical award$150,000
- Awarded in FY 2025-$248,978
- Size rank1,327 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceProject grants
Key findings
- It is the 1327th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 83% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 28 states and territories.
What the program funds
The purpose of the Higher Education Challenge Grants Program, under assistance listing 10.217, is to strengthen institutional capacities, including curriculum, faculty, scientific instrumentation, instruction delivery systems, and student recruitment and retention, to respond to identified state, regional, national, or international educational needs in the food and agricultural sciences, or in rural economic, community, and business development.
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
Applicants for the HEC must meet all the requirements discussed in this NOFO. Applications may be submitted by: 1. U.S. public or private nonprofit colleges and universities offering a baccalaureate or first professional degree in at least one discipline or area of the food and agricultural sciences; 2. land-grant colleges and universities, (including land grant institutions in the Insular Areas); 3. colleges and universities having significant minority enrollments and a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food and agricultural sciences; and 4. other colleges and universities having a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food and agricultural sciences.
What the money can and cannot pay for
Funds may be used only in targeted areas, e.g., curricula design and materials development, faculty preparation and enhancement for teaching, instruction delivery systems, scientific instrumentation for teaching, student experiential learning, and student recruitment and retention, as cited in the annual program announcement in the Federal Register. RESTRICTIONS: 1.) Stipends may not be used for tuition or scholarships. 2.) Indirect Costs (IDC) not to exceed 30 percent of total Federal funds awarded (TFFA). Section 1462(a) and (c) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3310(a) and (c)) limits IDC for the overall award to 30 percent of TFFA under a research, education, or extension grant;
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/higher-education-challenge-hec-grants-program
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Higher Education - Institution Challenge Grants Program (10.217) awarded $19.4 million across 71 grant awards, an average of $272,909 per award.
Who usually wins
Colleges and universities received 88% of the money, nonprofits 7.8%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colleges and universities | 63 | $17.0 million | 88% |
| Nonprofits | 5 | $1.5 million | 7.8% |
| Other | 3 | $910,174 | 4.7% |
By state
5 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards. They are Texas, California, Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 9 | $3.1 million |
| California | 6 | $1.6 million |
| Georgia | 4 | $1.5 million |
| North Carolina | 3 | $1.1 million |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | $1.1 million |
| Tennessee | 3 | $976,115 |
| South Dakota | 2 | $866,984 |
| Washington | 2 | $778,559 |
| Alabama | 4 | $777,117 |
| New Jersey | 1 | $749,996 |
| Louisiana | 1 | $740,000 |
| Arizona | 1 | $737,671 |
| Colorado | 1 | $729,463 |
| Kansas | 4 | $723,922 |
| Connecticut | 1 | $719,756 |
| Indiana | 3 | $679,262 |
| Missouri | 3 | $652,118 |
| Illinois | 3 | $576,708 |
| Ohio | 2 | $428,193 |
| Minnesota | 3 | $402,902 |
| West Virginia | 2 | $280,404 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | $279,635 |
| Iowa | 2 | $215,209 |
| Hawaii | 1 | $149,000 |
| Virginia | 1 | $140,758 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | $105,257 |
| Arkansas | 1 | $68,841 |
| Michigan | 2 | $36,778 |