Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA OP 009722
The National Food and Agricultural Sciences Teaching, Extension, and Research Awards (often referred to as the TERA awards) is a discretionary grant opportunity run by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to recognize and elevate exceptional college-level faculty whose work strengthens education in agriculture and closely related fields. Established in 1992, the program is aimed at spotlighting faculty who have made a clear, sustained impact in areas such as agriculture, natural resources, veterinary sciences, and human sciences, especially through high-quality teaching and meaningful engagement with students.
At its core, the program functions as a national recognition and awards mechanism that pairs professional prestige with grant support. A selection committee made up of nationally recognized teachers and scholars reviews nominations and selects multiple awardees across several categories. The program identifies two national recipients, two early-career recipients, and two recipients recognized specifically for teaching and student engagement. In addition to the national-level honors, the program also makes six regional awards, widening the opportunity to recognize excellence across different parts of the country and not only at the national tier.
Nominees are evaluated using criteria that emphasize what excellence looks like in real classrooms and academic programs, not just in publications. Reviewers consider instructional ability and effectiveness, educational innovation (for example, new curriculum designs, creative instructional approaches, or improved learning methods), service and commitment to students, professionalism, and scholarship. Taken together, these criteria reward faculty who combine strong teaching performance with forward-looking approaches and a demonstrated commitment to student success and academic integrity.
This opportunity is explicitly described as a partnership involving NIFA, the recipient associated with the National Awards for Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences Program (TERA) Award, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). In practical terms, this means the award is positioned not only as a federal recognition program but also as one connected to broader national leadership in higher education for food and agricultural sciences, which can increase its visibility and credibility within the academic community.
Nominations are submitted using the official Teaching Awards Guidelines and the Teaching Awards Nomination Form provided on the National Awards for Excellence resources page. Applicants are expected to follow the specific directions in the Request for Applications (RFA), because missing eligibility requirements or failing to meet submission rules can lead to disqualification. NIFA also points new applicants to its Grants Overview resource as a primer on federal financial assistance and the mechanics of applying for federal awards.
Eligibility is limited in an important way: applications may only be submitted by colleges and universities that can demonstrate they have the capacity to carry out teaching in food and agricultural science. In other words, individual faculty are the focus of the recognition, but the submitting entity is the institution, and the institution must be an eligible college or university with a demonstrable teaching mission in the relevant disciplines. The program also enforces a strict rule against duplicate or multiple submissions; if an applicant submits more than one application (or duplicates), NIFA states it will disqualify both, so institutions need internal coordination to ensure only one compliant submission is made per applicant as defined by the RFA.
From the posted opportunity data, the funding opportunity title is National Food and Agricultural Sciences Teaching, Extension, and Research Awards, with funding opportunity number USDA NIFA OP 009722. It is categorized as a discretionary grant under the agriculture funding activity category, associated with CFDA number 10.500. The agency is the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The opportunity listing shows an award ceiling of $500,000 and an original closing date of May 24, 2023 (noting that applicants would need to confirm current-year deadlines and details in the active RFA, since deadlines and available funds can change by cycle).Apply for USDA NIFA OP 009722
- The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Food and Agricultural Sciences Teaching, Extension, and Research Awards" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.500.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2023-04-06.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-05-24. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Special Research Grants Program Potato Research Apply for USDA NIFA SRGP 009702 Funding Number: USDA NIFA SRGP 009702 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| Alfalfa Seed and Alfalfa Forage Systems Apply for USDA NIFA OP 009882 Funding Number: USDA NIFA OP 009882 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $900,000 |
| New Beginning for Tribal Students Program Apply for USDA NIFA TGP 009902 Funding Number: USDA NIFA TGP 009902 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Food and Agricultural Education Information System Apply for USDA NIFA OP 009753 Funding Number: USDA NIFA OP 009753 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $1,100,000 |
| Open Data Framework Apply for USDA NIFA OTHER 009752 Funding Number: USDA NIFA OTHER 009752 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $920,000 |
| Wild Cervid Chronic Wasting Disease Management and Response Activities 2023 Cooperative Agreements Apply for USDA APHIS 10028 WSNWRC00 23 0018 Funding Number: USDA APHIS 10028 WSNWRC00 23 0018 Agency: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| USDA APHIS Tribal Nations Wild Cervid Chronic Wasting Disease Opportunities 2023 Cooperative Agreements Apply for USDA APHIS 10028 WSNWRC00 23 0019 Funding Number: USDA APHIS 10028 WSNWRC00 23 0019 Agency: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Farmed Cervid Chronic Wasting Disease Management and Response Activities 2023 Cooperative Agreements Apply for USDA APHIS 10025 VSSPRS00 23 0058 Funding Number: USDA APHIS 10025 VSSPRS00 23 0058 Agency: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Education and Workforce Development Apply for USDA NIFA AFRI 009842 Funding Number: USDA NIFA AFRI 009842 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $750,000 |
| Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program Apply for USDA NIFA TCRGP 009748 Funding Number: USDA NIFA TCRGP 009748 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $650,000 |
| Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans Competitive Grants Program Apply for USDA NIFA OP 009766 Funding Number: USDA NIFA OP 009766 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Tribal Colleges Extension Program: Special Emphasis Apply for USDA NIFA SLBCD 010064 Funding Number: USDA NIFA SLBCD 010064 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $200,000 |
| Research Facilities Act Program Apply for USDA NIFA OP 010063 Funding Number: USDA NIFA OP 010063 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Apply for USDA NIFA OP 009883 Funding Number: USDA NIFA OP 009883 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $960,000 |
| 1890 Institution Teaching, Research, and Extension Capacity Building Grants Program Apply for USDA NIFA CBGP 009942 Funding Number: USDA NIFA CBGP 009942 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $750,000 |
| Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs Phase I Apply for USDA NIFA SBIR 009962 Funding Number: USDA NIFA SBIR 009962 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $181,500 |
| FtF Mali Yarnude Apply for 72068823RFA00007 Funding Number: 72068823RFA00007 Agency: Mali USAID -Bamako Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $5,000,000 |
| Biotechnology Technical Assistance for Africa Apply for USDA FAS 10960 0700 10 23 0024 Funding Number: USDA FAS 10960 0700 10 23 0024 Agency: Foreign Agricultural Service Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $240,000 |
| Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program Apply for USDA NIFA CFP 009982 Funding Number: USDA NIFA CFP 009982 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $400,000 |
| Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program Youth Support and Internship Program Apply for USDA NIFA EXCA 010126 Funding Number: USDA NIFA EXCA 010126 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Funding Amount: $950,000 |
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