1,000+ Opportunities
Find the right grant
Search federal, foundation, and corporate grants with AI — or browse by agency, topic, and state.
Higher Education Challenge (HEC) Grants Program is sponsored by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The HEC Grants Program supports U.S. higher education institutions in strengthening education and training in food and agricultural sciences and first professional degree-level veterinary medicine.
The program funds institutional improvements such as curriculum development, faculty enhancement, scientific equipment, student recruitment and retention, and graduate-level education programs.
Get a weekly digest of new grants like this
A free weekly digest of new foundation and federal funding opportunities as they're added to Granted. Unsubscribe anytime.
Or search similar grants →Extracted from the official opportunity page/RFP to help you evaluate fit faster.
Higher Education Challenge Grants 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.
Higher Education Challenge Grants Program The purpose of HEC, under assistance listing 10. 217, is to strengthen institutional capacities, including curriculum, faculty, scientific instrumentation, and student recruitment and retention.
The HEC program is focused on developing and improving formal master’s or doctorate degree-level food and agricultural sciences education and first professional degree-level education in veterinary medicine, such as a doctorate in veterinary medicine (DVM). Dates may vary. Please see NOFO for exact details.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to access information related to this grant opportunity, please contact the Information Contact listed on this page no later than ten (10) days before the closing date. If you need a reasonable accommodation for the webinar or event related to this grant opportunity, please contact the event host.
NIFA offers language access services, such as interpretation and translation of vital information, free of charge. If you need interpretation or translation services, please visit NIFA Language Access Services and request service no later than ten (10) days before the closing date.
1862 Land-grant Institutions 1890 Land-grant Institutions 1994 Land-grant Institutions For-profit Organizations Other Than Small Businesses Hispanic-Serving Institutions Other or Additional Information (See below) State Controlled Institutions of Higher Ed More Information on Eligibility a) U.S. public or private, nonprofit colleges/universities offering baccalaureate or 1st professional degree in at least one discipline/area of food & agricultural sciences; b) land-grant colleges/universities (including those in Insular Areas); c) colleges/universities having significant minority enrollments and demonstrable capacity to teach food and agricultural sciences; and d) colleges/universities having demonstrable capacity to teach food and agricultural sciences.
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 For more Information Contact Higher Education Challenge (HEC) Grants Program Contact Thursday, October 15, 2026 grantapplicationquestions@usda. gov Funding Opportunity Number Assistance Listing Number Estimated Total Program Funding Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement Page last updated: August 5, 2026 Your feedback is important to us.
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: U.S. higher education institutions. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows $150,000 to $750,000. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Applications for Higher Education Challenge (HEC) Grants Program are due October 15, 2026. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, and final submission checks.
Higher Education Challenge (HEC) Grants Program is funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
Past winners and funding trends for this program
The RUS Powering Affordable Reliable Technology (PART) Energy Program takes Letters of Interest until October 9, 2026. Up to 40% of each loan can be forgiven, awards run $1M to $100M, and USDA describes eligible generation as hydro, geothermal, and biomass — even though Section 317 of the RE Act names solar and wind.
Read articleUSDA announced 194 Value-Added Producer Grant awards totaling $26.5 million on September 18, 2026 — beef took $11.6 million of it. The FY26 caps were cut to $50,000 and $200,000, a new rule disqualifies applications with grant-writer fees above 15 percent, and the average award landed above the dollar threshold that earns priority points. Here is how the scoring actually works.
Read articleUSDA-FS-2026-CFP puts $4.95 million behind fee-simple forest acquisition, caps requests at $600,000, and requires a 50 percent non-federal match. But the deadline that will actually disqualify you is October 13 — the date your application must be in your State Forester's hands, two weeks before the Forest Service ever sees it.
Read article