Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative - OREI Research Projects with Extension and/or Education Components

Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative - OREI Research Projects with Extension and/or Education Components is sponsored by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Funds research projects that solve U.S. organic agriculture issues through the integration of research, education, and extension/outreach.

Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) 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.

Veterinary Services Grant Program Technical Assistance Webinar NIFA staff will hold a Technical Assistance Webinar to discuss the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) Notice of Funding Opportunity. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture provides leadership and funding for programs that advance agriculture-related sciences.

Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) Program All Applicants Must Have an eRA Commons Account to Apply This program is being managed in the eRA Grants Management System as part of NIFA’s on going Grants Modernization Initiative (GMI) . To apply for this program’s NOFO(s), all applicants must have an eRA Commons account registered with their organization.

To learn more about acquiring an account or registering a new organization, please refer to the trainings in our eRA Reference Center . The purpose of this program is to fund high‑priority integrated projects that enhance the ability of producers and processors who have already adopted organic standards to grow and market high‑quality organic agricultural products, and to increase resilience in American farming systems.

Priority concerns include biological, physical, and social sciences, including economics. OREI is particularly interested in projects that emphasize research, education, and outreach that assist farmers and ranchers with whole farm planning by delivering practical research-based information. Projects should plan to deliver applied production information to producers.

Fieldwork must be done on certified organic land or on land in transition to organic certification, as appropriate to project goals and objectives. For this program, a land/facility is not considered organic unless it has received USDA certification. Refer to USDA National Organic Program for organic production standards.

OREI has eight goals that are legislatively-defined by the Farm Bill: Facilitating the development and improvement of organic agriculture production, breeding, and processing methods; Evaluating the potential economic benefits of organic agricultural production and methods to producers, processors, and rural communities; Exploring international trade opportunities for organically grown and processed agricultural commodities; Determining desirable traits for organic commodities; Identifying marketing and policy limitations on the expansion of organic agriculture; Conducting advanced on-farm research and development that emphasizes observation of, experimentation with, and innovation for working organic farms, including research relating to production, marketing, food safety, socioeconomic conditions, and farm business management; Examining optimal conservation, soil health, and environmental outcomes relating to organically produced agricultural products; and Developing new and improved seed varieties that are particularly suited for organic agriculture.

The OREI program has three NOFOs open. Access the links to grants. gov below for the full NOFOs.

OREI is one of the first pilot programs in NIFA's Grants Modernization Initiative (GMI). Visit our webpage and resource center to learn more about GMI and get started in the new eRA grants management system.

NOFO Link Descriptive Summary Deadline USDA-NIFA-D113A-32481 OREI Research Projects with Extension and/or Education Components May 14, 2026 USDA-NIFA-D113A-32357 OREI Planning Projects for Assistance in Development of Future OREI Proposals Requiring Multi-regional or Regional Coordination May 14, 2026 USDA-NIFA-D113A-32483 OREI Workshop Projects May 14, 2026 Technical Assistance Webinar Features a program overview, details of the NOFOs, description of the proposal evaluation process, and Q&A.

2026 OREI NOFO Technical Assistance Webinar Slidedeck (pdf - 1. 46 MB) OREI: Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative FY2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Technical Assistance Webinar. Presented April 13, 2026.

State agricultural experiment stations colleges and universities university research foundations other research institutions and organizations private organizations or corporations individuals who are United States citizens or nationals any group consisting of 2 or more of the entities described in items (1) through (8). Previously Funded Projects mathieu. ngouajio@usda.

gov Competitive Grant Programs Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative Organic Livestock and Poultry Standards National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances USDA Organic Integrity Database NASS Organic Agriculture Surveys USDA Agricultural Marketing Service: The National Organic Program National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) Research Priorities Page last updated: April 22, 2026 Your feedback is important to us.