Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program – Organic Transitions | USDA NIFA ICGP 007010

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA ICGP 007010

The Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program - Organic Transitions (ORG) is a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) discretionary grant program designed to help organic crop and livestock producers stay competitive and to help more producers successfully transition into organic production. The program is built around the idea that strong progress in organic agriculture comes from pairing practical research with education and on-the-ground outreach, so projects are expected to connect science, training, and real-world adoption rather than operating in a single lane. NIFA sets ORG priorities through stakeholder input and in consultation with the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board (NAREEEAB), with an emphasis on issues that matter directly to organic systems and the people who advise organic farmers.

A central focus of ORG is strengthening the environmental and ecosystem benefits commonly associated with organic farming systems. The opportunity highlights priority areas such as soil conservation, pollinator health, and climate change mitigation, including work related to greenhouse gas (GHG) outcomes. Applicants are also encouraged to develop educational tools and training resources for Cooperative Extension and other agricultural professionals who support producers with organic methods. Another prominent priority is helping the sector adapt as certain materials may be recommended for removal from the National Organic Program (NOP) National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. In practice, that means proposals that develop cultural practices, management approaches, and other allowable alternatives that can replace potentially lost inputs while keeping organic operations productive and compliant.

Projects under ORG are expected to be integrated, meaning they should include research plus at least one of the other two components: education or extension. Some proposals may lean more heavily toward one component than another depending on the goals, but they should still show meaningful activity and impact in research and in education and/or extension. This integrated structure is meant to ensure that findings do not remain in journals or trials alone, but are translated into guidance, decision tools, demonstrations, curricula, or advisory support that can be used by producers and the professionals who work with them.

Eligibility is limited mainly to colleges and universities as defined in Section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (NARETPA). To qualify under this definition, an institution must admit students with a secondary school diploma (or equivalent), be legally authorized to offer postsecondary education, offer degree programs at the bachelors level or higher, be public or nonprofit, and be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting body. The opportunity also allows applications from 1994 Land-Grant Institutions (as defined in 7 CFR 3430), Hispanic-serving Agricultural Colleges and Universities (HSACUs), and research foundations maintained by eligible colleges or universities. In addition, under the authority for integrated competitive grants (AREERA, 7 U.S.C. 7626), four-year Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) are eligible to apply for integrated projects, while two-year HSIs are only eligible if they are certified as HSACUs for the relevant fiscal year. The notice emphasizes that failure to meet eligibility requirements by the application deadline can lead to exclusion from consideration, even if the application is reviewed.

Administrative details in the listing identify the opportunity as Funding Opportunity Number USDA NIFA ICGP 007010, under CFDA 10.303, with NIFA as the administering agency. The funding instrument is a grant and the activity category is agriculture. The posted award ceiling is $500,000. The original closing date listed is February 27, 2020, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of November 21, 2019. While award counts and totals are not fully specified in the provided text, the listing indicates that NIFA anticipated making awards under this competition.

Finally, while only eligible institutions can apply as lead applicants, award recipients are allowed to subcontract with organizations that are not themselves eligible applicants, as long as those partners are necessary to carry out the project. This allows universities to formally involve growers, nonprofits, private technical experts, or other specialized groups as collaborators, while keeping the official applicant and award recipient within the eligible institution categories laid out in the program rules.

• The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program – Organic Transitions" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.303.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-11-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2020-02-27. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA NIFA ICGP 007010

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