Federal grant programs / Department of Agriculture

Cooperative Extension Service (10.500)

Also known as CES

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$299 million
• Grant awards309
• Typical award$407,487
• Awarded in FY 2025$52.7 million
• Size rank507 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceFormula grants, project grants

Key findings

• Annual funding was roughly flat, $52.7 million in fiscal 2021 and $52.7 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 507th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 62% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 50 states and territories.

What the program funds

The Cooperative Extension Service (CES) has an important role in reducing the impact of disasters through extension education. The Extension Special Needs program sponsors targeted projects that enable CES to assist in preparing for, providing an educational response to, and recovering from disasters. Education programming funded by this program will help communities, families and individuals become more self-sustaining by strengthening and increasing their resiliency to disaster. Some types of hazards and disaster related events funded in previous years include uncertainties caused by losses of economic infrastructure, severe weather or other natural disasters, security breaches, human disease, or high consequence animal diseases and plant pests. There has been an increase in public awareness regarding the number and severity of disaster type critical incidents involving earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, wildfire, drought, contagious disease, and terrorist events. The National Academy of Sciences Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and the Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction of the National Science and Technology Council have acknowledged the many effective roles that the Cooperative Extension System (CES) has played in disaster preparedness, response and remediation. Within the states and territories, the CES has repeatedly served as the trusted community organization that has helped to enable families, communities, and businesses to successfully prepare for, respond to and cope with disaster losses and critical incidents. Once a disaster has occurred, the local extension outreach includes: 1) Communicating practical science-based risk information, 2) Developing relevant educational experiences and programs, 3) Working with individuals and communities to open new communication channels, and 4) Mitigating losses and facilitating recovery. Never was this more evident than after hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma in 2005 and during the 2008 Midwestern Summer flooding. During and after these incidents, local Extension agents served as a critical communication node throughout affected urban and rural areas, particularly when traditional communication systems were temporarily overwhelmed or destroyed. The Extension Special Needs RFA encourages proposals that specifically address one or more of the following six key target areas: 1. Education and Technical assistance through inter-disciplinary and multi-state disaster training programs and demonstration projects for problem solving, especially those which build upon already existing strengths, contribute to or expand the EDEN and/or eXtension educational materials related to disaster preparation, mitigation, response and recovery; 2. Collaboration with Federal, state and local agencies and other disaster relief organizations to support education and service activities that enhance recovery of impacted rural communities, schools, businesses and agricultural-based activities; 3. Long range family, community and regional planning projects that will enhance implementation of programs that serve public needs in preparation for, during and after emergency situations within impacted States and across impacted regions; 4. Communication delivery of key information that meets end-users’ needs in a timely fashion with consideration of potentially limited communication channels due to disaster situations; 5. Dissemination of credible, science-based information that is reliable and easily accessible even if electronic access is compromised; and 6. Integrated Research and Extension Planning Projects (up to $15,000) are intended to provide assistance to applicants in bringing together teams for the development of highly competitive grant proposals where extension personnel would apply for large grants (in excess of $250,000) from other grant programs and lead nationally important disaster prevention, protection and mitigation projects. Fundable projects should support education and extension activities which: 1. Reduce risk through planning, disaster preparedness and emergency response by improving communication between the public, community leaders, state and Federal agencies; 2. Develop strategies and educational materials and/or programming in the area of emergency planning, infrastructure design and disaster recovery operation; 3. Develop community networks that provide real-time disaster education information;

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

Federal State (includes District of Columbia, public institutions of higher education and hospitals) Public nonprofit institution/organization (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals) Other public institution/organization U.S. Territories and possessions (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals) Minority group Private nonprofit institution/organization (includes institutions of higher education and hospitals) Other private institutions/organizations Anyone/general public

What the money can and cannot pay for

(1) The majority of Cooperative Extension Service (CES) Programs are issued under the general authority of the Secretary of Agriculture [7 U.S.C. 343 (d)]. Grant funds must be used for allowable costs necessary to conduct approved integrated research, extension and education objectives to address food and agricultural sciences, in the broadest sense. NIFA has determined that grant funds awarded under this authority may not be used for the renovation or refurbishment of research, education, or extension space; the purchase or installation of fixed equipment in such space; or the planning, repair, rehabilitation, acquisition, or construction of buildings or facilities. DETAILED INFORMATION – USES Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program Youth Support and Internship Program, 4-H Military Extension Educator Program Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom, New Technologies at Ag Extension, Pertinent details will be provided at a future date National Food and Agricultural Sciences Teaching, Extension, and Research Awards, Assistive Technology Program for Farmers with Disabilities (AgrAbility), Military Teen Adventure Camps, RFA: TBD Air Force 4-H Military Partnership Outreach Support Grant Program, RFA: TBD OneOp, RFA: TBD, Army Youth Program Evaluation (AYPE), RFA: (j. OTHER EXTENSION ACTIVITIES: (a) Section :070 – RESTRICTIONS ONLY (SEE ABOVE FOR USES): SPECIAL NOTES: (1) A synopsis of general restrictions is provided in the CFDA database.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Please refer to the NOFO for further specific and pertinent details. NOFOs are generally released annually. Hence, the RFAs provide the most current and accurate information available.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 the, Competitive, and/or Non-Competitive project grant, or cooperative agreement are established, these amounts will be announced in the annual Competitive, and/or Non-Competitive Request for Application (RFA).

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 89% of the money, businesses 0.6% and nonprofits 0.3%.

By state

41 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

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