Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA VSGP 008119
The Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) is a competitive grant opportunity run by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) meant to address shortages of veterinarians in rural parts of the United States, including U.S. insular areas. The program focuses on strengthening the pipeline of food animal veterinary professionals and boosting the day-to-day capacity of private veterinary practices that serve rural communities. In practical terms, VSGP supports projects that help veterinarians, veterinary students, veterinary technicians, and veterinary technician students build specialized, job-ready skills while also helping clinics and training programs obtain the resources they need (such as equipment or personnel) to deliver services more effectively where shortages are officially recognized.
The purpose of the program is to develop, implement, and sustain veterinary services in areas facing veterinarian shortage situations, with an emphasis on food animal veterinary care and related public health needs. VSGP is structured to fund efforts that either directly relieve these shortage situations or that support private practices involved in public health activities connected to veterinary services. This includes initiatives that improve the reach and quality of veterinary care in rural regions, where access challenges can affect livestock health, farm productivity, disease surveillance, food safety, and broader community health outcomes.
VSGP funds several main types of activities. First, it can support the establishment or expansion of accredited veterinary education and training pathways, including veterinary education programs, residencies, fellowships, internships, and externships, as long as they are carried out in coordination with accredited colleges of veterinary medicine. Second, it supports continuing education and extension efforts for veterinarians, technicians, and other relevant health professionals, including telemedicine and other distance-based training models that can reach practitioners who are far from traditional training centers. Third, the program can cover travel and living expenses for trainees, including veterinary students and trainees in internships, externships, residencies, and fellowships, as well as veterinary technicians, which helps reduce the financial barriers that often prevent people from training in or serving remote shortage areas.
Eligibility depends on which program area an applicant is pursuing. For Education, Extension, and Training (EET) projects, eligible applicants include a wide range of institutions and organizations: state, national, allied, or regional veterinary organizations or specialty boards recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA); AVMA-accredited colleges or schools of veterinary medicine; university research foundations or veterinary medical foundations; departments of veterinary science or comparative medicine accredited by the U.S. Department of Education; state agricultural experiment stations or research farms (including 1890 institutions); and state, local, or tribal government agencies. These EET-eligible entities can submit applications as long as their proposed work substantially relieves veterinary shortage situations or supports/facilitates private veterinary practices engaged in public health activities.
For Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE) projects, eligibility is targeted more narrowly at entities and individuals directly operating veterinary clinics. Eligible RPE applicants may be for-profit or nonprofit entities located in the United States, or individuals, that operate a veterinary clinic providing veterinary services in a rural area (as defined in federal statute at 7 U.S.C. 1991(a)). In addition, the clinic must be tied to a specific shortage situation in one of two ways: either the applicant is a current awardee under the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) with an active service obligation and applies with reference to the single shortage area where they are obligated to serve, or the applicant is not a current VMLRP awardee and applies with reference to a single current veterinarian shortage situation that is listed as "Open" on the VMLRP shortage map for the relevant cycle (noted in the notice as 2020 or 2021, depending on the application year). A key compliance detail is that the shortage area designation has to be explicitly included in the proposal title and narrative and entered in the appropriate field on the application form.
The rules on multiple submissions differ by track. RPE applicants are not allowed to submit duplicate or multiple applications; if an RPE applicant submits more than one, NIFA will disqualify both. By contrast, multiple submissions are allowed under EET when they come from different departments within an eligible institution, which gives larger institutions flexibility to propose distinct, non-duplicative projects.
From the published opportunity details, this is a discretionary USDA grant under CFDA 10.336, administered by NIFA, with an award ceiling listed at $250,000 for this particular funding notice. The opportunity information provided also lists an original closing date of April 16, 2021, and indicates the program uses a competitive selection process. Overall, VSGP is designed to solve a very practical workforce and service-delivery problem by investing in training, continuing education (including distance-enabled approaches like telemedicine training), and direct practice support, all aimed at improving access to food animal veterinary services and strengthening the public health and food safety infrastructure in rural shortage areas.Apply for USDA NIFA VSGP 008119
- The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.336.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2021-01-15.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-04-16. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) FAQs
What is the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP)?
The Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) is a competitive grant program administered by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). It is designed to address shortages of veterinarians in rural areas of the United States, including U.S. insular areas, by strengthening the pipeline of food animal veterinary professionals and improving the capacity of rural private veterinary practices.
What problem is VSGP meant to solve?
VSGP targets veterinarian shortage situations in rural regions, where limited access to veterinary care can negatively affect livestock health, farm productivity, disease surveillance, food safety, and related public health outcomes. The program invests in training and practice support to improve access to food animal veterinary services in officially recognized shortage areas.
Who runs and administers the program?
VSGP is run by the USDA and administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
Is VSGP a competitive grant?
Yes. The opportunity is described as a competitive grant program with awards made through a competitive selection process.
What is the purpose of the VSGP funding?
The purpose is to develop, implement, and sustain veterinary services in areas facing veterinarian shortage situations, with an emphasis on food animal veterinary care and related public health needs. Funded projects must either directly relieve shortage situations or support private practices involved in public health activities connected to veterinary services.
What kinds of activities can VSGP fund?
Based on the provided opportunity description, VSGP supports several major activity categories:
- Establishing or expanding accredited veterinary education and training pathways (such as veterinary education programs, residencies, fellowships, internships, and externships) in coordination with AVMA-accredited colleges of veterinary medicine.
- Continuing education and extension efforts for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and other relevant health professionals, including telemedicine and other distance-based training models.
- Travel and living expenses for trainees, including veterinary students and participants in internships, externships, residencies, and fellowships, as well as veterinary technicians.
- Resources that help clinics and training programs deliver services more effectively in recognized shortage areas (for example, equipment or personnel support, as described in the opportunity overview).
Does VSGP support telemedicine-related training?
Yes. The program description explicitly includes telemedicine and other distance-based training models as part of the continuing education and extension efforts it can support.
Can VSGP cover travel and living expenses for trainees?
Yes. The program can cover travel and living expenses for veterinary students and trainees in internships, externships, residencies, and fellowships, as well as veterinary technicians, to reduce financial barriers to training in or serving remote shortage areas.
What geographic areas does VSGP focus on?
VSGP focuses on rural parts of the United States, including U.S. insular areas, specifically where veterinarian shortages are officially recognized.
What types of applicants are eligible under Education, Extension, and Training (EET) projects?
For EET projects, the opportunity description lists eligible applicants as:
- State, national, allied, or regional veterinary organizations or specialty boards recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
- AVMA-accredited colleges or schools of veterinary medicine
- University research foundations or veterinary medical foundations
- Departments of veterinary science or comparative medicine accredited by the U.S. Department of Education
- State agricultural experiment stations or research farms (including 1890 institutions)
- State, local, or tribal government agencies
These entities may apply as long as the proposed work substantially relieves veterinary shortage situations or supports/facilitates private veterinary practices engaged in public health activities.
What types of applicants are eligible under Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE) projects?
Rural Practice Enhancement (RPE) eligibility is narrower and is directed at entities and individuals operating veterinary clinics. Eligible RPE applicants may be for-profit or nonprofit entities located in the United States, or individuals, that operate a veterinary clinic providing veterinary services in a rural area (as defined in federal statute at 7 U.S.C. 1991(a)).
What shortage-area connection is required for an RPE application?
The clinic must be tied to a specific shortage situation in one of two ways:
- The applicant is a current awardee under the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) with an active service obligation and applies with reference to the single shortage area where they are obligated to serve; or
- The applicant is not a current VMLRP awardee and applies with reference to a single current veterinarian shortage situation that is listed as "Open" on the VMLRP shortage map for the relevant cycle (noted as 2020 or 2021, depending on the application year).
How must the shortage area be identified in an RPE application?
The shortage area designation must be explicitly included in the proposal title and narrative and must also be entered in the appropriate field on the application form.
Can an RPE applicant submit more than one application?
No. Duplicate or multiple RPE applications are not allowed. If an RPE applicant submits more than one, NIFA will disqualify both applications.
Are multiple submissions allowed for EET projects?
Yes, in a limited way. Multiple submissions are allowed under EET when they come from different departments within an eligible institution, allowing larger institutions to propose distinct, non-duplicative projects.
Does VSGP only support veterinarians?
No. The program description indicates support for veterinarians, veterinary students, veterinary technicians, and veterinary technician students, including training and (for trainees) travel and living expenses. It also references continuing education for other relevant health professionals in the context of extension and training efforts.
What is the program emphasis within veterinary services?
VSGP emphasizes food animal veterinary care and related public health needs, with the overall goal of improving service delivery and workforce capacity in rural shortage areas.
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 10.336.
What is the award ceiling mentioned in the notice?
The published opportunity details provided list an award ceiling of $250,000 for this specific funding notice.
What was the closing date listed for this opportunity?
The provided details list an original closing date of April 16, 2021.
What does it mean that VSGP is a discretionary USDA grant?
The notice describes VSGP as a discretionary USDA grant, meaning awards are made through a competitive selection process rather than through an automatic or formula-based allocation.
What kinds of outcomes is VSGP trying to improve in rural communities?
By improving veterinary workforce and clinic capacity in shortage areas, VSGP aims to strengthen livestock health management, farm productivity, disease surveillance, food safety, and broader public health outcomes that depend on reliable veterinary services.
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