1890 Institution Teaching, Research, and Extension Capacity Building Grants Program | USDA NIFA CBGP 011698

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA CBGP 011698

The 1890 Institution Teaching, Research, and Extension Capacity Building Grants (1890 CBG) Program is a competitive grant opportunity run by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under Assistance Listing (CFDA) 10.216. Its core purpose is to strengthen the teaching, research, and extension infrastructure and capabilities of eligible 1890 Land-grant Universities, primarily by supporting projects that build institutional capacity and by encouraging cooperative efforts with federal and non-federal partners. The program is also framed as supporting Executive Order 14283, the White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), reinforcing the emphasis on advancing excellence and innovation at these institutions through targeted investments.

Only the statutorily eligible 1890 Land-grant Universities may apply (as referenced in 7 U.S.C. 3152(d)(2)). The eligible institutions listed in the notice are: Alabama A&M University; Alcorn State University; Central State University; Delaware State University; Florida A&M University; Fort Valley State University; Kentucky State University; Langston University; Lincoln University (MO); North Carolina A&T State University; Prairie View A&M University; South Carolina State University; Southern University and A&M College; Tennessee State University; Tuskegee University; University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff; University of Maryland-Eastern Shore; Virginia State University; and West Virginia State University. Applications must meet all requirements described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO); missing eligibility criteria by the deadline can lead to the application being excluded from consideration or prevent NIFA from making an award. For applicants who are newer to federal funding, the notice points to NIFA resources (such as its "About Grants" materials) to help institutions understand federal award processes and expectations.

The opportunity is categorized as a discretionary funding program and uses the grant instrument type under the agriculture funding activity category. The Funding Opportunity Number is USDA NIFA CBGP 011698. The posted application closing date is 2026-11-04. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $750,000, and NIFA anticipates making about 125 awards, indicating a relatively large portfolio designed to spread capacity-building support across the eligible 1890 institutions and across multiple types of projects.

The NOFO also highlights key participation and submission rules that affect how faculty and institutions plan proposals. Faculty members may not serve as the Project Director (PD) on more than two active 1890 CBG projects at the same time. If a faculty member already has two active projects, at least one of those projects must be scheduled to expire by the end of the current fiscal year in order for that person to serve as PD again. At the same time, the program explicitly allows faculty to submit multiple applications as the lead PD for Standard and/or Collaborative Grants in fiscal years 2026 and 2027, and it places no limit on how many projects a faculty member can join as a co-PD or key personnel. In practice, that means the main constraint is on simultaneously holding too many active PD roles, not on participating broadly across a portfolio of capacity-building work.

Partnerships are encouraged, but the program maintains a clear requirement that awards must build capacity at the 1890 Land-grant institution itself. For Collaborative or Integrated Education, Research, and Extension Projects, subcontracts to organizations that are not eligible to apply directly are allowed when they are needed to carry out a strong project. However, those subcontracts must clearly advance capacity building at the 1890 institution in the specific area addressed by the project, rather than shifting the core benefits outward to partners.

Several compliance and integrity guardrails are stated plainly. USDA will not accept competitive applications involving dangerous gain-of-function research, as defined in Section 8 of Executive Order 14292, which means applicants must screen proposed activities for alignment with that prohibition. The NOFO also restricts duplicate or overlapping submissions: applicants cannot submit duplicate proposals or predominantly overlapping projects. An eligible institution may submit multiple applications, including across multiple programs, but they must be meaningfully distinct rather than repackaging the same project or major portions of it.

Overall, the 1890 CBG Program is designed as a targeted capacity-building mechanism for the 19 named 1890 Land-grant HBCUs, offering grant support (up to $750,000 per award) for projects that expand and strengthen institutional teaching, research, and extension capabilities, often through cooperative arrangements, while requiring strict adherence to eligibility, non-duplication, and research-policy restrictions.

• The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "1890 Institution Teaching, Research, and Extension Capacity Building Grants Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.216.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2026-09-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-11-04. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $750,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 125 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA NIFA CBGP 011698

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