Our Mission
Our mission is to help Cooperative Extension generate a more visible, measurable, local impact.
We achieve this through our nationally funded programs made possible by member dollars and cooperative agreements with federal agencies, and through partnering on state, regional, and national initiatives with Cooperative Extension and the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP). We serve all Land Grant Universities, regardless of membership status.
Membership
Membership in the Extension Foundation is available to all land-grant Institutions. Membership grants access to our Impact Collaborative program, and supports the work we do in all of our programs.
National Funded Programs
The New Technologies for Agricultural Extension (NTAE) cooperative agreement (grant no. 2020-41595-30123) with the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) through a partnership with Oklahoma State University will enter its third year on September 1, 2021.
A key program in the cooperative agreement is the Program Accelerator. The Program Accelerator is a unique partnership between a project/program team and the resources of the Extension Foundation for a year of rapid growth and progress resulting in expanding the team’s local impact and national potential. Our unique methods and team of catalysts and key informants work uniquely with each team to produce scalable, better resourced, and more effective programs and community-based initiatives through a one-year boost of additional support.
This program serves all Land-Grant Universities in the United States.
Additionally, this program funds national tools for Cooperative Extension such as Ask Extension and Connect Extension.
We are pleased to have received a funding opportunity for Land Grant University Pesticide Safety Education Programs (PSEP). This opportunity is made available through a cooperative agreement (#X8-83698001) with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish and administer a national sub-award program in support of pesticide applicator education, and training for certified applicators of restricted used pesticides.
The National Pesticide Safety Education Center (NPSEC) will continue to collaborate with the Extension Foundation to lead the professional development part of the project and to assist PSEPs in enhancing some of the educational products they develop as part of the expectations attached to the funding.
Innovation Services
The Impact Collaborative is a bundle of services and events that are funded by and for our members only.
It is a place where Extension programs from across the country come to take a deep dive into their project and program planning using our innovation skill-building tools we’ve developed over the past five years. We connect those teams with subject matter experts in a variety of fields to help fill gaps in their project and program planning, and we train people in our innovation skill-building methodology so they can use the methodology and those skills to catalyze innovation with Extension programs locally.
This Impact Collaborative program combines creative entrepreneurial methodology with Cooperative Extension best practices.
Leadership Development for Extension Foundation Members & Their Teams
Friction happens when people don’t understand one another. Confusion happens as a result of poor communication. Underperformance happens when people aren’t engaged.
We are currently working with 15 institutions at the 1890 Extension Leadership Academy and New Technologies for Ag Extension project teams in these capacities.
Each of our offerings focus on behavior changes that will help you realize your potential.
Since 2018, the Extension Foundation is proud to partner with Fort Valley State University to present the 1890s Extension Leadership Academy. We work closely with partners from Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, and Lincoln University to make this possible.
The purpose of the 1890 Extension Leadership Academy is to prepare future and upcoming leaders in Extension to act as change agents to create a culture that encourages and sustains innovation throughout the organization. By building the capacity of these leaders, they will be capable of taking on 1890 issues so that the system will have the agility to address other opportunities and challenges proactively.
The Extension Foundation, in cooperation with the Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP), through an Interagency Agreement (IAA) with the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are funding the Cooperative Extension System (CES) to address health disparities among rural and other underserved communities. (AWARD NO: 2021-77041-34831)
The Extension network as a trusted leader in communities across the nation is a key factor in the selection of Extension as a CDC partner. On behalf of the Cooperative Extension System and in collaboration with ECOP, the Extension Foundation serves as Principal Investigator; provides grants administration; fiscal, operational, and technological services; system-wide communication; innovation processes; wrap-around services for projects; data collection and dashboards; and partnership development.