Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields

The STEM program supports projects that increase participation from rural areas. NIFA intends for this program to address educational needs through research and extension activities within broadly defined areas of the food and agricultural sciences a

The STEM program supports K-14 (kindergarten through twelfth grade plus two years of postsecondary schooling (e.g. vocational technical institutions or community/junior colleges)). The program integrates education/teaching and Extension/outreach projects that increase participation from rural areas in STEM leading to stronger, highly-skilled agricultural workforce.

(a) State agricultural experiment stations; (b) colleges and universities; (c) university research foundations; (d) other research institutions and organizations; (e) Federal agencies; (f) national laboratories; (g) private organizations or corporations; and, (h) Any group consisting of two or more of the entities

(a) State agricultural experiment stations; (b) colleges and universities; (c) university research foundations; (d) other research institutions and organizations; (e) Federal agencies; (f) national laboratories; (g) private organizations or corporations; and, (h) Any group consisting of two or more of the entities

Grant funds must be used for allowable costs necessary to conduct approved fundamental and applied research and extension grants to increase participation by women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, with priority given to eligible institutions that carry out continuing programs funded by the Secretary.

Program funds may only be used for research and extension activities in the training, outreach and mentoring of rural women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas in STEM fields relevant to USDA mission. Funds may not be used for any purposes other than those approved in the grant award documents. Funds made available for grants in this program shall not be used for scholarship or fellowship purposes, the construction of a new building or facility or the acquisition, expansion, remodeling, or alteration of an existing building or facility (including site grading and improvement, and architect fees). Section 720 of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012 (P.L. 112-55) limits indirect costs to 30 percent of the total Federal funds provided under each award. Therefore, when preparing budgets, applicants should limit their requests for recovery of indirect costs to the lesser of their institution's official negotiated indirect cost rate or the equivalent of 30 percent of total Federal funds awarded. Special Note on Indirect Costs as in-kind matching contributions: Indirect costs may be claimed under the Federal portion of the award budget or, alternatively, indirect costs may be claimed as a matching contribution (if no indirect costs are requested under the Federal portion of the award budget). However, unless explicitly authorized in the NOFO, indirect costs may not be claimed on both the Federal portion of the award budget and as a matching contribution, unless the total claimed on both the Federal portion of the award budget and as a matching contribution does not exceed the maximum allowed indirect costs or the institution's negotiated indirect cost rate, whichever is less. An awardee may split the allocation between the Federal and non-Federal portions of the budget only if the total amount of indirect costs charged to the project does not exceed the maximum allowed indirect costs or the institution's negotiated indirect cost rate, whichever is less. For example, if an awardees' indirect costs are capped at 30 percent pursuant to FY 2012 appropriated funds, Section 720 of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012 (Division A of Pub. L. 112-55), the awardee may request 15 percent of the indirect costs on both the Federal portion of the award and as a matching contribution. Or, the awardee may request any similar percentage that, when combined, does not exceed the maximum indirect cost rate of 30 percent.

In accordance with statutory time limits, project periods, including no-cost extensions of time, are not to exceed five (5) years. Further details are provided in the Award document Form NIFA-2009 and the NIFA General Terms and Conditions Grants and Cooperative Agreements.

General application instructions are listed in the NIFA Grants Application Guide. Program-specific instructions are listed in the NOFO. The NOFO overrides the Application Guide if there is a discrepancy between the two documents. Applicants must apply electronically through Grants.gov; no other method or response is accepted. The application forms package for this funding opportunity must be accessed through Grants.gov. Part III of the NIFA Grants Application Guide explains how to access a specific application forms package. Parts II and III of the NIFA Grants Application Guide contain resources to assist grant applicants and detailed information regarding the Grants.gov registration process. Applications must be signed by the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). Contact your AOR prior to starting an application to assess the organization's readiness to submit an electronic application.

NIFA evaluates each application in a two-part process. First, each application is reviewed to ensure that it meets the administrative requirements set forth in the NOFO. Second, a peer-review process (https://www.nifa.usda.gov/nifa-peer-review-process-competitive-grant-applications) will be used to evaluate the scientific and technical merit of applications that have meet the administrative requirements. After each peer review panel has completed deliberations, the responsible NIFA program staff will either recommend an application for support from available funds or decline an application due to insufficient funds or unfavorable review.

Within the limit of funds authorized, the NIFA awarding official will make grants to eligible applicants whose applications are judged most meritorious under the procedures set forth in this NOFO. Successful applicants receive two types of notifications in the award phase: informal and formal. After award recommendations are complete, NIFA will provide an informal notification to the potential awardee. This informal notification is not an authorization to begin performance. After the award is finalized, a formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA), signed by the Authorized Departmental Officer, will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications. The NoA is the authorizing document and will be sent via email to the recipient's Authorized Representative. The NoA will provide pertinent instructions and information including, at a minimum, the information described in 2 CFR 200.211 (see NIFA's Terms and Conditions).

Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate, for application deadlines

Contact the National Program Leader (NPL) regarding dates for specific deadlines, start and end dates, and range of approval/disapproval time.