Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA 1890SS 011978
The Scholarships for Students at 1890 Institutions (1890 Scholarships) opportunity is a discretionary grant program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) under Assistance Listing (CFDA) 10.524. Its core goal is to fund scholarship support at the 1890 Land-grant universities so they can more effectively recruit students, keep them enrolled through graduation, and provide the mentoring, engagement opportunities, and training that help students succeed academically and professionally. The program is designed to strengthen the pipeline of talent in the food and agricultural sciences by helping strong students complete undergraduate degrees as well as graduate degrees at the master's and doctoral levels, ultimately contributing to a more highly skilled workforce across the food and agricultural systems.
A major emphasis of the program is not just paying for school, but creating a structured environment that supports student success from entry to completion. Funding is intended to help institutions build and maintain scholarship programs that actively identify promising students, bring them into relevant programs of study, support them through mentoring and academic development, and prepare them for careers that align with food and agriculture needs. The fields of study must fall within the food and agricultural sciences as defined by the program guidance (referenced as Appendix III in the notice), which signals that the scholarship focus is meant to align with USDA's broader workforce and national capacity priorities in agriculture and related sciences.
Eligibility to apply is limited and very specific. Only the nineteen 1890 Land-grant institutions established under 7 U.S.C. 321 et seq., including Tuskegee University, may submit applications. In addition, awards will only be made to those eligible 1890 institutions that can demonstrate they have a competitive scholarship awards process in place. In practical terms, that means the institution must already have, or must be able to show, a formal and fair method for selecting scholarship recipients based on competitive criteria, rather than informal or noncompetitive selection. This requirement is positioned as a gatekeeping standard to ensure scholarship dollars are awarded through transparent, merit-based processes that can be reviewed and justified.
Key administrative details provide a sense of scale and timing. The funding opportunity number is USDA NIFA 1890SS 011978. The posted closing date is 2026-09-10. The program anticipates making 19 awards, which aligns with the number of eligible 1890 institutions. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is listed as 5,557,890. The opportunity was created on 2026-08-10. The funding instrument type is a grant, the activity category is agriculture, and the eligible applicant type is categorized as "Others" because eligibility is restricted to a defined set of institutions rather than open to the broader public, nonprofits, or state and local governments.
Overall, this grant is best understood as an institutional scholarship support mechanism aimed at strengthening enrollment, persistence, and degree completion in agriculture-related disciplines at 1890 Land-grant universities. By tying scholarship funding to recruitment, retention, mentoring, and training functions, the program is structured to produce long-term workforce outcomes rather than one-time tuition assistance, with a clear focus on building the next generation of professionals in food and agricultural sciences.Apply for USDA NIFA 1890SS 011978
- The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Scholarships for Students at 1890 Institutions (1890 Scholarships)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.524.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2026-08-10.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-09-10. (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 $5,557,890.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 19 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Scholarships for Students at 1890 Institutions (1890 Scholarships)
1) What is the Scholarships for Students at 1890 Institutions (1890 Scholarships) program?
The Scholarships for Students at 1890 Institutions (1890 Scholarships) is a discretionary grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). It funds scholarship support at eligible 1890 Land-grant universities to help them recruit students, support them through graduation, and provide structured mentoring and training connected to food and agricultural sciences.
2) What is the main goal of this grant opportunity?
The core goal is to strengthen the talent pipeline in food and agricultural sciences by enabling 1890 institutions to run scholarship programs that improve recruitment, retention (persistence), and degree completion for students pursuing relevant undergraduate and graduate degrees (master's and doctoral).
3) Who runs and oversees this program?
The program is run by USDA NIFA (the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture) as a discretionary grant program.
4) What is the Assistance Listing (CFDA) number for this opportunity?
The Assistance Listing (CFDA) number is 10.524.
5) What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is USDA NIFA 1890SS 011978.
6) What type of funding instrument is used?
The funding instrument type is a grant.
7) What activity category does this opportunity fall under?
The activity category is agriculture.
8) Who is eligible to apply for this grant?
Eligibility is limited to the nineteen 1890 Land-grant institutions established under 7 U.S.C. 321 et seq., including Tuskegee University. Only those institutions may submit applications.
9) Can students apply directly for funding through this opportunity?
No. Based on the information provided, this opportunity is intended for eligible 1890 institutions to apply for funding to support scholarship programs. It is not described as a direct-to-student application program.
10) Why is the eligible applicant type listed as "Others"?
It is categorized as "Others" because eligibility is restricted to a defined set of institutions (the nineteen 1890 Land-grant universities), rather than being broadly open to typical categories like individuals, nonprofits, or state and local governments.
11) How many awards are anticipated?
The program anticipates making 19 awards, which aligns with the number of eligible 1890 Land-grant institutions.
12) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling listed for this opportunity is 5,557,890.
13) When was this opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on 2026-08-10.
14) What is the closing date for applications?
The posted closing date is 2026-09-10.
15) What does the program funding support beyond tuition or direct scholarship dollars?
A major emphasis is creating a structured environment that supports student success from entry to completion. Funding is intended to help institutions recruit promising students, keep them enrolled through graduation, and provide mentoring, engagement opportunities, and training that support academic and professional success.
16) What degree levels are supported by the scholarship pipeline described in the opportunity?
The program is designed to help strong students complete undergraduate degrees as well as graduate degrees at the master's and doctoral levels in relevant fields.
17) What fields of study are expected to be supported?
The fields of study must fall within the food and agricultural sciences as defined by the program guidance (referenced as Appendix III in the notice). This indicates the scholarship focus is intended to align with USDA workforce and national capacity priorities in agriculture and related sciences.
18) What is meant by "strengthening the pipeline of talent" in food and agricultural sciences?
In this context, it means supporting a steady flow of students into food and agriculture-related degree programs, helping them persist through graduation, and preparing them for careers across food and agricultural systems so the workforce becomes more highly skilled over time.
19) Is there a requirement for institutions to have a competitive scholarship selection process?
Yes. Awards will only be made to eligible 1890 institutions that can demonstrate they have a competitive scholarship awards process in place.
20) What does "competitive scholarship awards process" mean in practice?
It means the institution must have (or be able to show) a formal, fair method for selecting scholarship recipients using competitive criteria, rather than relying on informal or noncompetitive selection. The requirement is described as a gatekeeping standard to support transparent, merit-based processes that can be reviewed and justified.
21) What is the program trying to achieve long-term?
The program is structured to produce long-term workforce outcomes, not simply one-time tuition support. By connecting scholarship funding to recruitment, retention, mentoring, and training functions, it aims to develop the next generation of professionals in food and agricultural sciences.
22) What is the overall purpose of funding institutions rather than funding individual students directly (as described here)?
Based on the opportunity description, the intent is to support institutional scholarship programs that can systematically recruit, mentor, and train students, creating a consistent support structure from enrollment through graduation and into workforce preparation.
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