Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans Competitive Grants Program

Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans Competitive Grants Program is sponsored by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Supports veterans interested in pursuing careers in agriculture by providing necessary skills, training, and experience leading to meaningful employment opportunities.

Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans (AgVets) | NIFA The lifecycle of grants and cooperative agreements consists of four phases: Pre-Award, Award, Post-Award, and Close Out. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture is committed to serving its stakeholders, Congress, and the public by using new technologies to advance greater openness.

The Data Gateway enables users to find funding data, metrics, and information about research, education, and Extension projects that have received grant awards from NIFA. This website houses a large volume of supporting materials. In this section, you can search the wide range of documents, videos, and other resources.

Technical Assistance Webinar: The Equipment Grants Program (EGP) The Equipment Grants Program seeks to provide eligible institutions with the opportunity to acquire a shared-use piece of equipment/instrument that supports their research, research training, and extension goals. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture provides leadership and funding for programs that advance agriculture-related sciences.

Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans (AgVets) The Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans Program provides grants to non-profits to increase the number of military veterans gaining knowledge and skills through comprehensive, hands-on and immersive model farm and ranch programs offered regionally that lead to successful careers in the food and agricultural sector.

The program encourages the development of training opportunities specifically designed for military veterans. AgVets projects will offer onsite, hands-on training and classroom education leading to a comprehensive understanding of successful farm and ranch operations and management practices. Projects may also offer workforce readiness and employment prospects for service-disabled veterans.

Ensuring there are pathways for military veterans interested in pursuing careers in agriculture — regardless of age or production choice — strengthens agricultural production and rural economies across the United States.

While military veterans are eligible for most USDA programs, a hands-on immersive training experience has been identified as a critical strategy for helping interested individuals enter into and sustain successful careers in farming, ranching, and agribusiness.

Through targeted outreach, strategic collaboration and partnership, including evaluation, well-designed pilot programs can assist veterans in gaining the knowledge and skills necessary to secure meaningful job and career opportunities that increase individual, family, and community vitality. Section 760 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (H. R.

244) provides funds to NIFA for a pilot program to provide grants to nonprofit organizations for training programs and services to establish and enhance farming and ranching opportunities for military veterans. AgVets applicants must be nonprofit organizations.

The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, 2 CFR part 200, defines the term "nonprofit organization" as follows: Nonprofit organization means any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization, not including institutions of higher education (IHEs), that: (a) Is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purposes in the public interest; (b) Is not organized primarily for profit; and (c) Uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operations of the organization.

The AgVets program will accept Training and Outreach project types. Training and Outreach Projects must conduct programs and activities that deliver science-based knowledge and informal educational programs to veterans through an immersive onsite learning experience leading to a comprehensive understanding of successful farm/ranch operation/management practices.

Training and Outreach projects may also include related matters such as certification programs, instructional materials and innovative instructional methods appropriate to help prospective producers successfully manage their operations. Previously funded and current projects: https://portal. nifa.

usda. gov/enterprise-search/project_details/ss/1946 Awards will be made through a competitive grants process, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). All applications for funding must be submitted electronically through Grants.

gov . This process requires pre-registration which can take up to one month. We encourage all potential applicants to begin the registration process as soon as possible.

Reviewers from universities, government, community-based organizations, for-profit and non-profit organizations, and from the military, veteran, and farming/agribusiness community will provide peer assessment and recommend applications for funding.

Projects are required to acknowledge USDA-NIFA funding in all presentations, publications, news releases, etc. Projects are required to collect and submit outcome-based data to USDA-NIFA through annual reports. The annual Project Directors and Evaluators meeting provides opportunities for networking and sharing of best practices.

Secretary Perdue Launches Veteran Resources at USDA USDA Supports America's Heroes Farm and Ranch Business Health Assessment Program Specific Resources Fillable Business Assessment (pdf - 442. 79 KB) FarmLink Business Assessment Spanish - Interactive (pdf - 675. 09 KB) Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans Competitive Grants Program Page last updated: April 1, 2025 Your feedback is important to us.