Higher Education Challenge Grants Program

National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Funding

Estimated total program funding: $5,700,000

About

The purpose of HEC, under assistance listing 10.217, is to strengthen institutional capacities, including curriculum, faculty, scientific instrumentation, and student recruitment and retention. The HEC program is focused on developing and improving formal master’s or doctorate degree-level food and agricultural sciences education and first professional degree-level education in veterinary medicine, such as a doctorate in veterinary medicine (DVM).

Eligibility

Eligibility Requirements Land-grant Institutions and other colleges and universities having a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food and agricultural sciences and confer a graduate degree in at least one discipline or area of food and agricultural sciences are eligible to apply. Institutions offering degrees should be accredited by an agency or association recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Research foundations maintained by an eligible college or university are eligible. Award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply, provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project. Individuals are not eligible to apply for these grants to support their own graduate education.

Applicant types

Grants.gov eligibility code 25

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Notice-specific evidence check

What an applicant must verify for Higher Education Challenge Grants Program

Applicant evidence

Applicant type: Other eligible applicants

Opportunity boundaries

Recorded funding: Estimated total program funding: $5,700,000
Recorded deadline: October 16, 2026; confirm time zone and submission system.
Recorded focus: Agriculture

Do not infer missing fields: geographic eligibility. Absence from this directory record is not evidence that a restriction does not exist.

Before investing in an application, connect every eligibility claim, required registration, submission component and deadline to the current official notice. Open the recorded official source →

Application checklist

How to apply for Higher Education Challenge Grants Program

The steps below turn the recorded grant fields into a pre-submission check. They do not replace the current Notice of Funding Opportunity or its amendments.

Recorded eligibility

• Applicant types: Grants.gov eligibility code 25.
• Geographic scope is not structured in this record.
• Notice summary: Eligibility Requirements Land-grant Institutions and other colleges and universities having a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food and agricultural sciences and confer a graduate degree in at least one discipline or area of food and agricultural sciences are eligible to apply. Institutions offering degrees should be accredited by an agency or association recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Research foundations maintained by an eligible college or university are eligible. Award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply, provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project. Individuals are not eligible to apply for these grants to support their own graduate education.

Focus areas: AG

Recorded deadline

October 15, 2026 — confirm the time zone and submission system

A missing or rolling date is not permission to assume an open application window.

1. Confirm fitMatch your applicant type, location, project scope and any cost-share or registration rule to the official notice.
2. Read the noticeCollect the current guidelines, amendments, budget rules, required attachments and submission instructions.
3. Check timingRecord the deadline time zone, internal review date and any earlier registration or portal cut-off.
4. Submit thereUse the official application route and save the confirmation or submission reference.

Official sources

Recorded source: https://www.grants.gov/xml-extract

Open official notice →

Last directory verification: Sep 21, 2026.