USDA Posts $66 Million for Organic Agriculture Research Grants
March 29, 2026 · 2 min read
Arthur Griffin
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture has posted three Notices of Funding Opportunity totaling approximately $66 million under the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) for FY2026.
The funding pool combines roughly $44 million carried over from FY2025 with $22 million in new FY2026 appropriations — a substantial investment in a program that supports the growing organic sector.
Three Distinct Funding Tracks
OREI's FY2026 cycle includes three separate NOFOs. The flagship track funds integrated research, education, and extension projects that help organic producers and processors grow and market high-quality products. Planning Projects offer up to $50,000 for teams developing future OREI proposals. Workshop Projects provide up to $75,000 to convene researchers and practitioners around emerging organic agriculture challenges.
The program emphasizes whole-farm planning approaches and practical, research-based information delivery to working farmers and ranchers.
A New Submission Process
OREI is one of the first pilot programs in NIFA's Grants Modernization Initiative, which means applicants will encounter different submission procedures than previous USDA NIFA proposals. Teams accustomed to the traditional NIFA application process should review the updated requirements carefully before submitting.
Eligible applicants include universities, research institutions, and organizations with capacity to conduct integrated organic agriculture research combined with extension and education activities.
Why Organic Researchers Should Act Now
The $66 million represents one of the largest OREI funding cycles in recent years, driven partly by the carryover of unspent FY2025 funds. This creates an unusually deep pool for organic agriculture researchers, but the modernized submission process adds a learning curve that could slow applications.
Researchers new to OREI should consider the Planning Project track as an entry point — the $50,000 awards fund proposal development work that positions teams for larger integrated awards in future cycles.
Full application details are available on the NIFA website. Grant seekers can explore additional agricultural funding opportunities on grantedai.com.
More coverage of USDA funding programs is available on the Granted blog.