Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants Program
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- USDA-NIFA-CSPECA-32938
- Agency
-
Department of Agriculture
- Applications due
- Award size
- $10,000 to $150,000
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 seeks applicants for the Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants Program (SPECA) with applications due July 27, 2026 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Approximately $750,000 in total funding is available, with eight anticipated awards ranging from $10,000 to $150,000 per project.
Eligible applicants are public secondary schools, public or private nonprofit junior and community colleges, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status. Regular proposals may request up to $50,000; collaborative proposals involving multiple partners may request up to $150,000. No matching requirement applies, though cost sharing is encouraged. Indirect costs cannot exceed 30 percent of total federal funds awarded.
Projects must span 24 to 36 months and target one of three K-14 grade levels: K-8, secondary grades 9-12, or junior/community college level. Funded work addresses three educational need areas: curriculum development, instructional delivery systems, and expanding student career opportunities. The program supports curriculum enhancement, faculty competency development, joint initiatives between secondary schools and higher education institutions, agriscience and agribusiness subject matter integration across science and business courses, and existing agriculture in the classroom programs for grades K-12.
Evaluation criteria weighted as follows: potential for advancing educational quality and significance of the problem (25 points), proposed approach and cooperative linkages (25 points), institutional capability and capacity building (15 points), key personnel (15 points), and budget and cost-effectiveness (20 points). All applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov and include project summary, 10-page project narrative, budget justification, evaluation plan, dissemination plan, and supporting documentation. Successful applicants may be required to attend a NIFA SPECA Project Director meeting during the performance period with reasonable travel expenses included in the budget. CFDA 10.226.
Synopsis
The purpose of the SPECA program is to award grants to; enhance curricula in agricultural education, increase faculty teaching competencies, interest young people in pursuing higher education in order to prepare for scientific and professional careers in the food and agricultural sciences, promote the incorporation of agriscience and agribusiness subject matter into other instructional programs, particularly classes in science, business, and consumer education, facilitate joint initiatives by the grant recipient with other secondary schools, institutions of higher education that award an associate degree, and institutions of higher education that award a bachelor's degree to maximize the development and use of resources, such as faculty, facilities, and equipment, to improve agriscience and agribusiness education, support other initiatives designed to meet local, State, regional, or national needs related to promoting excellence in agriscience and agribusiness education; and support current agriculture in the classroom programs for grades K-12.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| USDA-NIFA-CSPECA-32938-Full-Announcement.html | HTML file |
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