Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA AFRI 004468
Apply for USDA NIFA AFRI 004468
- The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Water for Agriculture Challenge Area" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.310 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI).
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 24, 2014 and posted on Feb 24, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 13, 2014 A Letter of Intent (LOI) must be received by 500 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on April 17, 2014 (see Part IV A.). A LOI is a prerequisite to submission of an application. Please note that a LOI is not a required prerequisite for conference grants. Applications must be received by 500 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on August 13, 2014.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $6,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Eligibility is linked to the project type. All project types are described beginning in Part II, C.
[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal:
Opportunity Summary:
The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Water for Agriculture Challenge Area is a discretionary grant opportunity administered by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under CFDA 10.310. It was created to launch a focused national effort on agricultural water challenges that are becoming more frequent and disruptive, including drought, flooding, excess soil moisture, and water quality problems. The central idea is to support research and related activities that help agriculture and working lands adapt to water extremes while also protecting or improving water supplies for people and ecosystems. Rather than treating water as only a technical or biophysical issue, NIFA frames this challenge area as inherently cross-disciplinary, emphasizing the need to combine hydrology, agronomy, engineering, and environmental science with social, economic, and behavioral sciences so that solutions are not only scientifically sound but also realistic to adopt and effective at a regional scale.
Funding is intended to produce practical, usable outcomes: improved management practices, new or improved technologies, and decision-support tools that can be used by farmers, ranchers, forest owners and managers, and a wide range of public and private decision makers. In practice, that means projects are expected to move beyond diagnosing problems and toward delivering implementable strategies that improve both water quantity (availability, storage, timing, and efficient use) and water quality (reducing pollutants and managing runoff and leaching) in agricultural landscapes. Because water systems rarely stop at field boundaries, NIFA highlights regional approaches that reflect shared hydrological processes and basin or watershed characteristics, along with meteorological patterns that drive extremes. The opportunity is designed for work that acknowledges how water moves across farms, communities, and watersheds, and how upstream and downstream decisions interact.
The program (Funding Opportunity Number USDA NIFA AFRI 004468) was posted on February 24, 2014, with an estimated total funding level of $6,000,000. Individual awards could be as large as $1,000,000, and the listed award floor is $0, which typically signals that award sizes may vary depending on project type and scope. A cost-sharing or matching requirement applies, so applicants would need to plan for required non-federal contributions consistent with the specific project category rules described in the full announcement. Eligibility is not stated as a single universal category; instead, it is tied to the project type, with details provided in the solicitation (referenced as beginning in Part II, C). The opportunity listing indicates “Others†for eligible applicants and points readers to the eligibility section for clarification, which commonly means multiple organization types may apply depending on whether the submission is a standard research project, an integrated project, an extension-oriented effort, a conference grant, or another authorized format under AFRI.
A key administrative feature of this opportunity is the required Letter of Intent (LOI). For most project types, an LOI had to be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 17, 2014, and it served as a prerequisite to submitting a full application. The listing notes an exception: an LOI was not required as a prerequisite for conference grants. Full applications were due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 13, 2014, and the opportunity later archived on September 12, 2014. Applicants needing help accessing the announcement were directed to the NIFA Help Desk (202-401-5048) during standard weekday business hours, excluding federal holidays, and the notice also referenced additional contacts for questions about application content.
Overall, this grant opportunity reflects NIFA’s push for solutions that are technically strong, regionally relevant, and adoptable in the real world. It prioritizes projects that treat water challenges in agriculture as a coupled human-natural system problem, where outcomes depend not only on engineering and biophysical understanding, but also on producer decision-making, economic incentives, institutional constraints, and community behavior. The intent is to generate tools and practices that can be deployed by land managers and policy leaders to reduce risk from water extremes and improve long-term stewardship of water resources across agricultural regions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the AFRI Water for Agriculture Challenge Area?
The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Water for Agriculture Challenge Area is a discretionary grant opportunity administered by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under CFDA 10.310. It was created to launch a focused national effort to address agricultural water challenges that are becoming more frequent and disruptive.
What kinds of water challenges is this program focused on?
This opportunity focuses on water extremes and related impacts in agriculture and working lands, including drought, flooding, excess soil moisture, and water quality problems.
What is the main goal of the grant opportunity?
The central goal is to support research and related activities that help agriculture and working lands adapt to water extremes while also protecting or improving water supplies for people and ecosystems.
Is the program strictly focused on technical or biophysical research?
No. NIFA frames this challenge area as inherently cross-disciplinary. The intent is to combine hydrology, agronomy, engineering, and environmental science with social, economic, and behavioral sciences so that solutions are scientifically sound, realistic to adopt, and effective at a regional scale.
What kinds of outcomes is NIFA expecting from funded projects?
Funding is intended to produce practical, usable outcomes such as improved management practices, new or improved technologies, and decision-support tools that can be used by farmers, ranchers, forest owners and managers, and a wide range of public and private decision makers.
Do projects need to go beyond problem diagnosis?
Yes. Projects are expected to move beyond diagnosing problems and toward delivering implementable strategies that improve both water quantity and water quality in agricultural landscapes.
What does the program mean by improving water quantity?
Water quantity improvements include topics like water availability, storage, timing, and efficient use in agricultural systems.
What does the program mean by improving water quality?
Water quality improvements include reducing pollutants and managing runoff and leaching in agricultural landscapes.
Does NIFA emphasize local, field-scale work or broader regional approaches?
NIFA highlights regional approaches because water systems often extend beyond individual field boundaries. The opportunity emphasizes work reflecting shared hydrological processes and basin or watershed characteristics, along with meteorological patterns that drive extremes.
Why does the solicitation emphasize watersheds and upstream/downstream interactions?
The program is designed for work that acknowledges how water moves across farms, communities, and watersheds, and how upstream and downstream decisions can interact.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this program?
The Funding Opportunity Number is USDA NIFA AFRI 004468.
When was this funding opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on February 24, 2014.
What was the estimated total funding level?
The estimated total funding level listed for this opportunity was $6,000,000.
What was the maximum award size?
Individual awards could be as large as $1,000,000.
What does it mean that the award floor is listed as $0?
The listing shows an award floor of $0, which typically indicates that award sizes may vary depending on the project type and scope.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
Yes. A cost-sharing or matching requirement applies, so applicants would need to plan for required non-federal contributions consistent with the specific project category rules described in the full announcement.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is tied to the project type and is described in the solicitation (referenced as beginning in Part II, C). The opportunity listing indicates "Others" for eligible applicants and directs readers to the eligibility section for clarification, which suggests multiple organization types may apply depending on the authorized project format.
What project types are referenced in the eligibility discussion?
The listing notes that eligibility may vary depending on whether the submission is a standard research project, an integrated project, an extension-oriented effort, a conference grant, or another authorized format under AFRI.
Was a Letter of Intent (LOI) required?
Yes. A key administrative feature of this opportunity is a required Letter of Intent (LOI) for most project types, and it served as a prerequisite to submitting a full application.
Was an LOI required for conference grants?
No. The listing notes an exception that an LOI was not required as a prerequisite for conference grants.
What was the LOI deadline?
For most project types, the LOI deadline was 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 17, 2014.
What was the full application deadline?
Full applications were due by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on August 13, 2014.
When was the opportunity archived?
The opportunity was archived on September 12, 2014.
Where could applicants get help accessing the announcement?
Applicants needing help accessing the announcement were directed to the NIFA Help Desk at 202-401-5048 during standard weekday business hours, excluding federal holidays.
Does the opportunity mention contacts for application content questions?
Yes. The notice referenced additional contacts for questions about application content (beyond the help desk support for access issues).
What is the overall approach NIFA is pushing through this opportunity?
NIFA is pushing for solutions that are technically strong, regionally relevant, and adoptable in real-world conditions, treating agricultural water challenges as a coupled human-natural system problem.
Why does the program include social, economic, and behavioral sciences?
The intent is to ensure outcomes depend not only on engineering and biophysical understanding, but also on producer decision-making, economic incentives, institutional constraints, and community behavior, so funded outputs are more likely to be adopted and effective.
Who is expected to use the tools and practices developed under this program?
The opportunity emphasizes deliverables that can be deployed by land managers (including farmers, ranchers, forest owners, and forest managers) and by public and private decision makers, including policy leaders, to reduce risk from water extremes and improve long-term stewardship of water resources.
Browse more business programs for Agriculture Services, Food Research Programs
Browse more opportunities from the same agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Agriculture Environment
Next opportunity: FY 2014 Youth Ambassadors Program
Previous opportunity: STUDENT PROGRAM FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN
USGrants.org Applicant Portal:
Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.
Apply for USDA NIFA AFRI 004468
[Watch] how do funding administrators access proposals?
Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (USDA NIFA AFRI 004468) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Minor Crop Pest Management Program Interregional Research Project (IR 4) Apply for USDA NIFA SRGP 004488 Funding Number: USDA NIFA SRGP 004488 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Environment Funding Amount: $4,800,000 |
| Climate Change Implementation and Adaptation Measures (CLIMA Adapt) Apply for APS 517 14 000001 Funding Number: APS 517 14 000001 Agency: Dominican Republic USAID Santo Domingo Category: Agriculture Environment Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| Crop Protection and Pest Management Apply for USDA NIFA CPPM 004955 Funding Number: USDA NIFA CPPM 004955 Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture Category: Agriculture Environment Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Rangeland Research Program Apply for USDA CSREES OP 002303 Funding Number: USDA CSREES OP 002303 Agency: CSREES Category: Agriculture Environment Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| NEW JERSEY FY 10 CONSERVATION INNOVATION GRANT Apply for USDA NRCS NJ 10 001 Funding Number: USDA NRCS NJ 10 001 Agency: New Jersey State Office Category: Agriculture Environment Funding Amount: $75,000 |
Grant application guides and resources
It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!
Apply for Grants
Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers
Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.
If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.
Subscribe to Leads
Request more information:
Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "USDA NIFA AFRI 004468", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:
Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.