U.S. colleges and universities training the next generation of agricultural scientists and professionals can currently apply for the Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship Grants Program.

The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture has approximately $14 million available through the current competition.

Institutional awards range from $78,000 to $705,000.

Applications close on October 15, 2026.

What Is the National Needs Fellowship Program?

The programme, commonly called NNF, helps universities train outstanding graduate students in disciplines important to USDA’s mission.

Rather than students applying individually to USDA, eligible universities submit institutional proposals and then use awarded funds to support qualifying Fellows.

The goal is to increase the pipeline of highly trained U.S. professionals in food, agriculture and related sciences.

Which Students Can Be Supported?

Funding may support eligible full-time students pursuing:

• Master’s degrees;
• Doctoral degrees;
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine programmes.

Fellows must generally be new graduate students and must be:

• U.S. citizens;
• U.S. nationals; or
• Permanent residents.

The fellowship programme is therefore not generally designed for international students studying in the United States.

Who Applies?

The university or qualifying research foundation applies, not the student.

Eligible organisations include:

• Land-grant institutions;
• Universities with significant minority enrolment and agricultural teaching capacity;
• Other colleges and universities with demonstrable capacity in food and agricultural sciences;
• Research foundations maintained by eligible institutions.

How Much Funding Is Available?

The current competition provides:

Total programme funding: approximately $14 million

Award range: $78,000 to $705,000

Cost share: None required

Funding is intended to support structured graduate-training programmes rather than one student’s independent research request.

What Should a Strong Programme Include?

The strongest proposals should explain the national workforce need first.

For example, an institution may identify a shortage of specialists in:

• Agricultural biosecurity;
• Food science;
• Agricultural economics;
• Plant or animal production;
• Natural resources;
• Human nutrition;
• Sustainable food systems.

Then explain how the proposed graduate programme will recruit, train and prepare students to meet that need.

Useful components can include:

• Coursework;
• Research training;
• Industry exposure;
• International study;
• Professional development;
• Mentorship;
• Experiential learning.

Official Application Link

Funding Opportunity Number: USDA-NIFA-HEP-011737

Apply through the official Grants.gov opportunity

View the official USDA NIFA programme page

Deadline

October 15, 2026

Universities should coordinate submissions through their sponsored-research or grants office because this is an institutional federal application rather than an individual student fellowship form.