Deadline: 16-Sep-22
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture is seeking applications for the ‘From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals Program (NEXTGEN)’.
The main Goal is to enable 1890 institutions, 1994 institutions, Alaska Native-serving institutions and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions (specifically, the certified Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities (HSACUs)), and insular area institutions of higher education located in the U.S. territories to build and sustain the next generation of the food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH) workforce including the future USDA workforce primarily through providing student scholarship support, meaningful paid internships, fellowships, and job opportunity matching, and also facilitating opportunities to learn the processes and pathways leading to training and employment in the federal sector.
Focus Areas
The primary areas of focus include:
- Paid experiential learning opportunities (i.e., internships, fellowships, career development activities, apprenticeships, and experiential learning opportunities, such as mentoring, shadowing, hands-on-learning, interviews, peer-to-peer engagement) in food, agriculture, natural resource, and human sciences across research, education, and extension and at USDA for undergraduate and graduate students and other communities of learners;
- Scholarships to support the recruitment, retention, and graduation of students completing a degree, certification, and/or credential in food, agriculture, natural resource, and human sciences;
- Non-formal education activities that cultivate interest in and exposure to careers across food, agriculture, natural resources, human sciences, and allied disciplines among youth and other communities of learners on non-traditional academic or career paths, such as return-to-work program participants, older adults seeking employment, and formerly incarcerated individuals. Examples of activities include hosting a Jr. Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS}) Chapter, sponsoring field trips, K-12 school gardens, extension demonstrations, service projects, or positive youth development activities, such as 4-H;
- Innovative recruitment, retention, and initiatives to attract students to majors and career paths in food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences and improve understanding of the processes and pathways leading to training opportunities and employment in the federal sector, particularly at USDA.
Funding Information
- The amount available for NEXTGEN in FY2022 is approximately $250,000,000. USDA is not committed to fund any particular application or to make a specific number of awards.
- Minimum Award Amount: $500,000
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Maximum Award Amount:
- Tier 1: $20,000,000
- Tier 2: $10,000,000
- Tier 3: $5,000,000
- Duration: 60 Months
Eligible Projects
Project Types:
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Student Scholarship Projects (SSP) -SSP funded projects support the eligible institutions to develop scholarship programs that will recruit, retain, expand career awareness across the diverse sectors of food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences, including allied disciplines, and increase graduation rates of students and the participation rates in internship programs and experiential learning opportunities by
- providing student financial support (full tuition, fees, books and other necessary materials or supplies, room and board, and other participant support costs, such as transportation, off-campus housing allowances, child care, etc.) as well as mentoring, career counseling, coaching for internship identification, preparation, and application submission, and other retention support services each year for up to 4 years; or
- providing special or focused scholarships to increase student recruitment, retention, and graduation in relevant academic majors or in certificate and credential programs. Scholarship programs should include plans to accommodate scholarship recipients who find it necessary to interrupt their program of study because of health, personal, or other reasonable nonacademic and non-disciplinary cause(s).
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Experiential Learning Projects (ELP)– ELP funded projects provide support for paid domestic or international experiential learning opportunities for students to promote a better awareness and understanding of the wide array of career opportunities across the agricultural enterprise including those at USDA, while developing their professional skills and training. ELP projects may include but are not limited to:
- research, education, and extension projects focused on relevant topics at their own institutions OR institutions or organizations other than their own;
- apprenticeships, internships, fellowships, or similar participatory learning experiences, practicums for Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) students, or externships away from their own institutions; learning experiences integrating USDA, such as coaching for the application process for USDA internship and career opportunities, projects, field trips or visits to USDA 13 locations, or coordinating educational seminars with USDA personnel; or
- other relevant experiential learning activities or approaches. “On-the-ground,” shadowing, or research projects are encouraged to develop interactions between research, academic, extension/outreach faculty and staff that enable students to understand basic and applied research translation and its impact in the lives of all Americans.
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Outreach and Engagement Projects (OEP)- OEP funded projects provide support to institutions to:
- Develop educational content, activities, media and digital campaigns, marketing materials, and opportunity matching services to enhance youth’s understanding of the myriad career opportunities which exist across FANH and USDA;
- involve youth and other communities of learners in the design, execution, and evaluation of meaningful activities that connect to FANH and USDA;
- engage students as ambassadors for food, agriculture, natural resources, human sciences, and allied disciplines with youth and other community of learners, as well as other relevant activities;
- build awareness of the range of agriculture-related career opportunities in FANH and at USDA; as well as understanding of processes and pathways to Federal employment.
Eligibility Criteria
- Section 1006 of the American Rescue Plan, as amended by Section 22007 of the Inflation Reduction Act (Pub.L 117-169) defines eligible applicants as 1890 land-grant institutions, 1994 land-grant institutions, Alaska Native serving institutions and Native Hawaiian serving institutions, Hispanic-serving institutions [specifically, the certified Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities (HSACUs)], and insular area institutions of higher education located in the U.S. territories.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=343230