Extension Services at 1890 Colleges and Tuskegee University, West Virginia State College, and Central State University

The Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) funds agricultural and forestry extension activities at 1890 Land-Grant Universities through CFDA 10.512, with the most recent award issued October 1, 2025. The program exclusively supports cooperative extension programming delivered by eligible 1890 institutions including Tuskegee University, West Virginia State University, and Central State University, alongside 16 other designated land-grant universities across the South and Midwest.

This program funds practical, research-based extension education addressing concrete agricultural and rural development challenges. Recent awards show extension programs spanning animal science, plant production, food safety, natural resources management, youth development through 4-H, nutrition and health education, community economic development, and climate-smart agriculture. Lincoln University's most recent award supports organic farming, urban agriculture, industrial hemp, food safety training, forest ecosystem management, and small ruminant enterprises in Missouri. Kentucky State University's extension covers soil management, climate-smart agriculture, aquaculture, apiculture, horticulture, drone technology, nutrition education, and 4-H STEM programming. Southern University's Louisiana program addresses food security, aquaculture profitability, natural resources conservation, obesity prevention, and youth leadership development. Central State University in Ohio targets limited-resource and small-scale farmers with beginning farmer training, agroforestry legacy planning, and underserved youth through 4-H in foster care and the juvenile justice system.

The program is entirely Formula Grants (100% of 178 awards), with 19 awards annually over the past five years through October 2025. NIFA accounts for the overwhelming majority of funding: 175 of 178 awards totaling $651.8 million in federal dollars obligated, with a small set of 3 awards contributing $9.8 million. Combined federal and non-federal obligations reach $1.24 billion, indicating substantial state matching commitments. Individual awards range from $3 million to $14.7 million in federal obligations, with typical magnitudes in the $5–10 million range over five-year periods. Recent awards to Texas ($14.7 million), North Carolina A&T ($10.6 million), Lincoln ($10.3 million), and Central State ($10.1 million) exemplify the funding envelope.

The program remains highly active with awards issued consistently on October 1 of each fiscal year, most recently October 1, 2025, and concluding September 30, 2030. No current grant opportunities are solicited through competitive NOFOs; funding flows directly to eligible 1890 institutions via formula allocation. Applicants must be designated 1890 Land-Grant Universities conducting approved agricultural extension activities in compliance with the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act Section 1444(a)(1). Funds must be expended within the fiscal year of appropriation, though up to 100 percent may carry over for up to four years without prior approval.