Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) Grants

Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) Grants is sponsored by USDA NIFA. Supports projects in high-priority areas of agricultural, food, and environmental sciences to attract new scientists and educators.

AFRI FASE & EPSCoR Program | 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.

AFRI FASE & EPSCoR Program The Food and Agricultural Science Enhancement (FASE) Grants are designed to help institutions develop competitive projects and to attract new scientists and educators into careers in high-priority areas of national need in the agricultural, food, and environmental sciences. FASE Grants consist of New Investigator Grants, Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowship Grants, and Strengthening Grants.

Strengthening Grants are further divided into: Strengthening Standard Grants Strengthening CAP (Coordinated Agricultural Project) Grants Strengthening Workshop Grants. Fifteen percent of AFRI funding is set aside for Strengthening Grants and Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowship Grants. Strengthening Grant Eligibility Strengthening Grants are available during each funding cycle.

Strengthening Grants are limited to: Small and mid-sized or minority-serving degree-granting institutions that previously had limited institutional success for receiving Federal funds State Agricultural Experiment Stations or degree-granting institutions eligible for USDA Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) funding.

A decision tree showing strengthening grant eligibility is included in each AFRI Notice of Funding Opportunity. Flow Chart for AFRI Strengthening Grant Eligibility Get definitions and other clarifying information about FASE and Strengthening grants, as well as the EPSCoR program, on our Project and Grant Types FAQ page. FY 2026 EPSCoR ELIGIBILITY Every year, NIFA determines the States that are eligible for USDA EPSCoR funding.

This list includes States having a funding level no higher than the 38th percentile of all States based on a three-year rolling average of AFRI funding levels, excluding FASE Strengthening funds granted to EPSCoR States and small- to mid-sized and minority-serving, degree-granting institutions.

While significant FY 2024 and FY 2025 funds are unobligated, the eligibility determinations are based on the data obtained from grants made through the AFRI program from 2021 through 2023.

For FY 2026 NOFO applications, the following States meet the requirements for this category: Alaska Kentucky New Mexico Utah Connecticut Maine Nevada Vermont Delaware Montana Rhode Island West Virginia Hawaii North Dakota South Carolina Wyoming Idaho New Jersey South Dakota Other entities eligible for USDA EPSCoR funds in FY 2026 include the following United States Commonwealths, Territories, possessions and their successors, and the District of Columbia: American Samoa Guam Northern Marianas Virgin Islands (U.S.) District of Columbia Micronesia Puerto Rico Other EPSCoR Information Since NIFA determines EPSCoR State eligibility every year, a number of States will join or leave (“graduate from”) the 19-State list every year.

The chart shows the history of each EPSCoR State’s eligibility status since 2009. Several other Federal agencies also provide funding to EPSCoR States. The EPSCoR program originated in the National Science Foundation (NSF), which provides funding to the eligible States’ EPSCoR committees ( NSF EPSCoR ).

By contrast, NIFA provides EPSCoR funding directly to individual investigators in those States. In addition, NIFA’s EPSCoR funding mechanism is embedded in the FASE program as noted above (a graphic illustration of FASE and EPSCoR funding diagrams this relationship). For these reasons, NIFA is said to have an EPSCoR-like program.

NIFA is a member of the EPSCoR Interagency Coordinating Committee (EICC) headed by NSF. The EICC was established in FY 1992 to improve coordination among and between the Federal agencies in implementing EPSCoR and EPSCoR-like programs consistent with the policies of those agencies.

Notice of Funding Opportunity Links AFRI - Strengthening Agricultural Systems (SAS) AFRI - Foundational and Applied Science Program (FAS) AFRI - Education and Workforce Development (EWD) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Plant health, production, and products Agriculture systems and technology Animal health and production and animal products Bioenergy, natural resources, and environment Food Safety, Nutrition, and Health Agriculture economics and rural communities Food and Nutrition Security AFRI Project and Grant Types | FAQ Page last updated: March 13, 2026 CYFAR 4-H Military Partnership Professional Development and Technical Assistance Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program Food Safety Outreach Program NIFA Awards $5.

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