Research Facilities Act Program
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- USDA-NIFA-OP-011980
- Agency
-
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Department of Agriculture
- Applications due
- Award size
- $100,000 to $30,000,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Category
-
- Agriculture
- Eligible applicants
-
- Other
- Points of contact
- Full announcement
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture is seeking applicants for competitive grants to construct, alter, acquire, modernize, renovate, or remodel agricultural research facilities, with an application deadline of July 24, 2026. A mandatory 1:1 non-Federal cash match on a dollar-for-dollar basis applies to all applicants, except American Samoa, Guam, Virgin Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Northern Mariana Islands, which have match waivers up to $200,000.
Eligible applicants include 1862 and 1890 Land-Grant Institutions, 1994 Land-Grant Institutions, State Agricultural Experiment Stations, accredited veterinary schools, Hispanic-Serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities, Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture, Insular Area Institutions, McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Act participants, and other entities eligible for capacity and infrastructure programs. Institutions may submit only one application as a lead institution.
Total funding is approximately $121,127,200, distributed across 35–40 anticipated awards. Four funding levels structure competition: Level I (Planning Activities, $100,000–$200,000) for feasibility studies and preliminary design; Level II (Small Facility Upgrades, $250,000–$2,000,000) for renovations and lab modernization; Level III (Mid-Scale Construction/Expansion, $2,000,000–$10,000,000) for expansions and retrofits; and Level IV (Large-Scale Research Complex, $10,000,000–$30,000,000) for new buildings. Project duration is 12–48 months. Administrative costs are capped at 3 percent of total requested funds.
Applicants must align projects with USDA Research and Development Priorities: farmer profitability, market expansion, invasive species protection, soil health, and human health through nutrition. Projects must address national or multistate research needs, demonstrate non-duplication of existing facilities, and provide evidence of institutional financial capacity and long-term operations commitment.
NIFA evaluates applications on six equally-weighted criteria: rationale and significance, long-term impact and institutional commitment, project planning and activities, financial capacity and fundraising, project team qualifications, and deliverables and long-term viability. Criteria 3 and 4 are not required for Level I Planning Activities. CFDA number is 10.246.
Synopsis
The RFAP is listed in the Assistance Listings under number 10.246. RFAP is designed to provide financial assistance to qualifying institutions for the construction, alteration, acquisition, modernization, renovation, or remodeling of agricultural research facilities to conduct research in the fields of food and agricultural sciences (as defined in 7 U.S.C. 3103, see Appendix III for definition).
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| FY26-RFAP-NOFO-P2.pdf | ||
| FY26-RFAP-NOFO-P4.pdf |
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