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The USDA NIFA Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program provides non-dilutive funding to small businesses developing innovative, commercially viable technologies for agriculture and food systems.
AI and machine learning applications are increasingly funded across topic areas including precision agriculture, crop and livestock production, food safety and quality, natural resource and water management, agricultural manufacturing, and rural economic development. The program moves discoveries from concept (Phase I feasibility) to market (Phase II development), distributing roughly $40-50 million annually.
AgTech startups applying AI to sensing, robotics, decision support, and supply chain modeling are well-aligned with current priorities.
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Or search similar grants →According to the current listing, eligibility includes: U.S. small businesses and proprietorships operating for profit that qualify as small business concerns for research and development purposes. STTR requires partnership with a nonprofit research institution. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows phase I awards provide up to approximately $125,000 to $181,500 over roughly eight months to establish technical feasibility; Phase II awards scale to up to $600,000 over approximately 24 months for further R&D and commercialization. No cost-sharing is required. Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
USDA NIFA SBIR/STTR Program for AgTech Including AI and Precision Agriculture is funded by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). 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.
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs - USDA NIFA is sponsored by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The SBIR/STTR programs at USDA NIFA support research and development that leads to commercialization of innovative technologies. Specific topic areas relevant to forest farming and specialty crops include 'Plant Production and Protection - Biology' which supports enhancing crop production, and 'Management of Natural Resources' which aims to commercialize technologies to manage, monitor, improve, and/or protect natural resources while sustaining farm and forest productivity.
AFRI Education and Workforce Development: Food and Agricultural Non-formal Education (FANE) is a grant from USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) supporting non-formal education programs that cultivate interest and skills in food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences. Eligible applicants include universities, community organizations, and nonprofits developing programs such as 4-H, extension education, and hands-on agricultural learning experiences. Grants strengthen the pipeline of future agricultural professionals by engaging youth and adult learners outside traditional classroom settings.
The NEH Humanities Research Centers on Artificial Intelligence program funds the creation of university-based humanities research centers focused on the ethical, legal, and societal implications of artificial intelligence. Funded centers undertake interdisciplinary humanities-led research that brings ethics, law, history, philosophy, anthropology, religious studies, literature, linguistics, and cultural studies to bear on questions raised by AI systems. Topics include responsible AI governance frameworks, AI and civil rights, AI and labor, cultural impact of generative AI, AI and creative authorship, philosophical foundations of machine reasoning, history of AI thought, and humanistic evaluation of AI safety and alignment. Centers are expected to convene researchers, train new humanities scholars in AI, host public-facing programming, and produce publications and translational tools that inform policy and public understanding. Strong fit for universities seeking to launch sustained interdisciplinary AI humanities research programs in partnership with computer science and other STEM departments.
SaTC 2.0 is NSF's flagship cybersecurity, privacy, and trust research program reorganized to address emerging threats including generative AI security, open-source software security, quantum computing security, and supply chain security. Funded scope covers the bidirectional role of AI as both a cybersecurity threat (adversarial attacks on AI systems, AI-enabled cyberattacks, data poisoning) and a defensive tool (AI for intrusion detection, automated vulnerability discovery, secure-by-design AI). The program supports interdisciplinary collaboration across computer science, mathematics, social and behavioral sciences, and STEM education to build trust in global cyber ecosystems.
NSF SaTC 2.0 (Security Privacy and Trust in Cyberspace) is the largest open solicitation for university-led cybersecurity research in the federal portfolio now expanded with AI security as an explicit priority area. The 2.0 reboot added generative AI security open-source software security quantum computing security and supply chain security as topics of interest addressing the bidirectional role of AI as both a cybersecurity threat and a defensive tool. Research awards support adversarial machine learning and attacks on AI systems AI weaponization against people information and systems privacy-preserving machine learning and responsible AI use for detecting and responding to cyber threats. The program funds three award types: Research awards up to $1.2M for four years Education awards up to $500K for three years and Seedling awards up to $300K for two years through Dear Colleague Letters. Proposals are accepted on a recurring annual basis with two windows per year. This is distinct from NSF CyberAICorps which focuses on scholarship and workforce development and from NSF AIMing which focuses on AI formal methods and mathematical reasoning.
USDA NIFA's Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program offers $4.8M in FY2026 with a July 16 deadline — planning grants to $50K and project grants to $400K over four years. The catch is a 1:1 match that screens out most applicants. Here is how to build the match, choose your track, and write a self-reliance story that scores.
Read articleWhile headlines chase AI and defense money, USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture runs a tight summer competitive cycle — Equipment Grants (June 25), Agricultural Genome to Phenome (June 29), New Beginning for Tribal Students (July 2), and Crop Protection and Pest Management (July 6). Here is how the four programs fit together, who is eligible, and why the land-grant system has a structural edge.
Read articleSecretary Rollins and NIFA opened the FY26 Research Facilities Act Program on June 15 with a four-tier award structure scaling from $100K planning grants to $30M facility complexes. The dollar-for-dollar cash match, the one-project-per-institution rule, and the 32-day application window are reshaping how land-grants will prioritize their long-deferred capital backlog.
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