Discover Funding Opportunities for Cooperative Extension and Higher Education
Explore funding opportunities curated by the Extension Foundation currently available for Cooperative Extension. New grants are added twice a month, so make sure to check back frequently!
National Opportunities
Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Digital Infrastructure
- Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Education Innovation and Scholarship for Service (CyberAI SFS) | U.S. National Science Foundation
Eligibility label: Both
Amount: $300,000–$2,500,000
Estimated number of awards: 1 to 25
Synopsis: NSF’s CyberAI SFS program supports AI and cybersecurity education capacity, including scholarship-track projects that place students into government cybersecurity work and innovation-track projects that strengthen AI/cyber education models. Four-year IHEs may apply directly under the Scholarship Track, while two- and four-year IHEs, including community colleges, may apply directly under the Innovation Track. (NSF – U.S. National Science Foundation)
Best-fit screen: Strong fit for land-grant institutions with cybersecurity, AI, public-sector talent pipeline, and workforce-development capacity; especially worth review where Extension or public-service missions connect to cyber workforce needs. (NSF – U.S. National Science Foundation)
Deadline: Full proposal deadline, July 21, 2026
Link: NSF 26-503: Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Education Innovation and Scholarship for Service (NSF – U.S. National Science Foundation)
Workforce Preparation & Job Readiness
- FY 26 Postsecondary Student Success Grant 84.116M | U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: $2,000,000–$8,000,000
Estimated number of awards: 9
Synopsis: This new FIPSE competition supports evidence-based strategies to improve postsecondary retention, transfer, credit accumulation, and completion. Public and private institutions of higher education are explicitly eligible, alongside certain nonprofits.
Best-fit screen: High-value review item for land-grant universities with strong student-success, advising, institutional research, transfer, and completion agendas; especially worthwhile where campuses can scale data-informed interventions rather than pilot small stand-alone services.
Deadline: Application deadline, June 29, 2026
Link: FY 26 Postsecondary Student Success Grant 84.116M
- Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Directorate for STEM Education (IUSE: EDU) | U.S. National Science Foundation
Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: $200,000–$2,000,000
Estimated number of awards: Not stated
Synopsis: IUSE: EDU supports evidence-based projects to improve undergraduate STEM teaching, learning, and institutional change. The program is open to all institutions of higher education and associated organizations. (Simpler Grants)
Best-fit screen: Strong fit for universities seeking to improve STEM student success, transfer, and workforce preparation at scale; especially relevant where undergraduate teaching innovation and institutional transformation are priorities. (Simpler Grants)
Deadline: Full application closing date, July 15, 2026
Link: Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Directorate for STEM Education (Simpler Grants) - Strategically Responsive Grants / LOI Process | ECMC Foundation
Eligibility: Postsecondary institutions and systems or their affiliated/supporting foundations
Amount: Not stated
Deadline: Rolling LOI
Why it fits: ECMC is explicitly interested in projects that improve postsecondary persistence, completion, and career success for underserved students; national higher-ed institutions may submit LOIs directly. (ecmcfoundation.org) - FY 2026 Tech Youth Program | U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: $1,100,000
Estimated number of awards: 1
Synopsis: This new ECA exchange competition will fund one organization to run a three-week U.S.-based youth program focused on technical, leadership, and entrepreneurial skill-building, including job shadowing, site visits, coursework, and capstone projects for U.S. and international participants. Public and private IHEs are explicitly eligible.
Best-fit screen: Best for universities with international exchange administration, youth programming, employer engagement, and applied tech or entrepreneurship capacity; potentially attractive to LGUs with Extension-linked youth innovation ecosystems, but it is more exchange-management-heavy than Extension-delivery-heavy.
Deadline: Application deadline, July 6, 2026
Link: FY 2026 Tech Youth Program
Agriculture, Food Systems & Natural Resources Innovation
- Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program | U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Eligibility label: Both
Amount: $49,999–$750,000
Estimated number of awards: Not stated
Synopsis: BFRDP supports education, outreach, and technical assistance that help beginning farmers and ranchers enter or strengthen agricultural operations. Colleges and universities are explicitly eligible, and the program requires collaborative state, tribal, local, or regional partnerships.
Best-fit screen: High-priority for collaborative teams including some combination of Extension, private sector, agriculture education, etc. spanning topics such as farmer training, risk management, land access, business planning, and succession programming.
Deadline: Application deadline, June 16, 2026
Link: Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program | NIFA (Nation Institute of Food and Agriculture) - Supplemental and Alternative Crops | U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: Not stated
Estimated number of awards: Not stated
Synopsis: SAC supports projects that expand U.S. adaptation and acreage of alternative crops for food, feed, oil, and industrial uses. The official eligibility language expressly allows applications from colleges and universities.
Best-fit screen: Strong fit for LGUs with crop diversification, specialty and emerging crops, bio-based products, and experiment-station plus Extension capacity.
Deadline: Application deadline, June 25, 2026
Link: Supplemental and Alternative Crops | NIFA (Nation Institute of Food and Agriculture) - Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative | U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Eligibility label: Both
Amount: Not stated
Estimated number of awards: Not stated
Synopsis: AG2PI funds research on agriculturally significant crops and animals in production environments, with emphasis on genetics, phenomics, resilient production, and dissemination of findings. Colleges and universities are explicitly eligible, and consortia are encouraged.
Best-fit screen: Best for research-intensive LGUs with genomics, breeding, animal or crop systems, and translational ag-science capacity; especially worth review where experiment station strengths can connect to producer-facing impact.
Deadline: Application deadline, June 29, 2026
Link: Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative | NIFA (Nation Institute of Food and Agriculture) - Methyl Bromide Transition Program | U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: $500,000
Estimated number of awards: Not stated
Synopsis: MBT supports discovery and implementation of practical pest-management alternatives to methyl bromide in agricultural production, post-harvest management, processing, and transport systems. The program explicitly limits applications to colleges and universities, including research foundations maintained by eligible colleges or universities.
Best-fit screen: Strong fit for LGUs with applied pest-management, specialty-crop, post-harvest, and Extension translation capacity rather than purely basic lab science.
Deadline: Application deadline, June 29, 2026
Link: Methyl Bromide Transition Program | NIFA (Nation Institute of Food and Agriculture) - Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program | U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: $150,000–$2,500,000
Estimated number of awards: Not stated
Synopsis: TCRGP supports research-capacity development at Tribal colleges in agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences, with explicit encouragement for projects involving AI, data science, robotics, and other digital tools. Eligibility is limited to 1994 land-grant institutions.
Best-fit screen: High-priority review for 1994 institutions seeking research-capacity growth with agriculture, community vitality, and emerging technology components.
Deadline: Rolling / open through December 31, 2026
Link: Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program | NIFA (Nation Institute of Food and Agriculture)
Resilient Lands & Communities
- Renewable Resources Extension Act – National Focus Fund Projects (RREA-NFF) | U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: $130,000–$150,000
Estimated number of awards: Not stated
Synopsis: RREA-NFF supports natural-resources Extension work, and eligibility is limited to 1862, 1890, and 1994 land-grant institutions. The program was posted April 6, 2026 with a June 8, 2026 closing date. (Nation Institute of Food and Agriculture)
Best-fit screen: Immediate review item for Extension-led teams with forestry, natural resources, conservation, and community resilience programming, especially institutions positioned for statewide delivery. (Nation Institute of Food and Agriculture)
Deadline: Closing date, June 8, 2026
Link: Renewable Resources Extension Act – National Focus Fund Projects (RREA-NFF) (Nation Institute of Food and Agriculture)
Organizational Capacity, Professional Development & Learning Networks
- Research-Practice Partnerships: Collaborative Research for Educational Change | The Spencer Foundation
Eligibility label: Both
Amount: Up to $400,000
Estimated number of awards: Not stated
Synopsis: Spencer’s RPP program supports collaborative education research partnerships between academic researchers and practitioners or policymakers. The PI must be affiliated with a nonprofit or public/governmental institution, including public colleges and universities, and the program expressly encourages partnerships that include institutions of higher education and rural locations.
Best-fit screen: Worth review for colleges of education, Extension-connected community learning teams, and public-engagement units that already have trusted district, policy, or community partners and want to build evidence with practice relevance.
Deadline: Pre-proposal deadline, July 10, 2026
Link: Research-Practice Partnerships: Collaborative Research for Educational Change | Spencer Foundation (Spencer Foundation) - William T. Grant Scholars Program | William T. Grant Foundation
Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: $425,000 over five years
Estimated number of awards: 4 to 6
Synopsis: This program supports early-career researchers pursuing five-year research and mentoring plans focused on reducing inequality or improving the use of research evidence for young people ages 5–25 in the United States. Awards are made to the applicant’s institution, and applicants must be nominated by their institutions.
Best-fit screen: Strong fit for LGUs that want to back a high-potential early-career faculty member through an institutionally supported nomination, particularly at HBCUs, HSIs, TCUs, ANNH institutions, and other broad-access campuses the foundation says it wants to encourage.
Deadline: Application deadline, June 30, 2026
Link: William T. Grant Scholars Program (William T. Grant Foundation) - Research Grants on Reducing Inequality | William T. Grant Foundation
Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: $100,000–$600,000 for major grants; $25,000–$50,000 for Officers’ Research Grants
Estimated number of awards: Not stated
Synopsis: This program supports research on programs, policies, or practices that reduce inequality in academic, social, behavioral, or economic outcomes for young people ages 5–25 in the United States. The foundation makes grants only to tax-exempt organizations and explicitly encourages applications from underrepresented grantee institutions including HBCUs, HSIs, TCUs, Alaska Native-Serving, Native Hawaiian-Serving, and AANAPISI institutions.
Best-fit screen: Best for faculty-led LGU research teams in education, youth development, child welfare, justice, housing, or related fields that can show a strong theory of change and policy/practice relevance rather than implementation-only work.
Deadline: Letter of inquiry deadline, July 29, 2026
Link: Research Grants on Reducing Inequality (William T. Grant Foundation) - Research Grants on Improving the Use of Research Evidence | William T. Grant Foundation
Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: $100,000–$1,000,000 for major grants; $25,000–$50,000 for Officers’ Research Grants
Estimated number of awards: Not stated
Synopsis: This program supports studies on strategies that improve the use of research evidence in policy or practice affecting young people ages 5–25 in the United States. The foundation funds tax-exempt organizations only and again explicitly encourages proposals from underrepresented higher-education institutions, including HBCUs, HSIs, TCUs, ANSIs, NHSIs, and AANAPISIs.
Best-fit screen: Especially strong for LGUs with education, Extension, youth-serving systems, or public-policy partnerships that already work with schools, agencies, intermediaries, or community organizations and want to study how evidence gets used in real decisions.
Deadline: Letter of inquiry deadline, July 29, 2026
Link: Research Grants on Improving the Use of Research Evidence (William T. Grant Foundation) - Historically Black Colleges and Universities – Excellence in Research (HBCU-EiR) | U.S. National Science Foundation
Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: Not stated
Estimated number of awards: 30 to 35
Synopsis: HBCU-EiR supports research capacity and engagement with NSF at public and private HBCUs. The next required action date in-window is the required letter of intent due July 9, 2026. (NSF – U.S. National Science Foundation)
Best-fit screen: High-priority capacity-building opportunity for 1890 land-grant institutions and other HBCUs seeking to strengthen research infrastructure, competitiveness, and NSF engagement. (NSF – U.S. National Science Foundation)
Deadline: Letter of intent required, July 9, 2026
Link: Historically Black Colleges and Universities – Excellence in Research (NSF – U.S. National Science Foundation) - NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) (R25 – Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | National Institutes of Health
Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: Not stated
Estimated number of awards: Not stated
Synopsis: SEPA supports educational activities that increase understanding of biomedical research among pre-college learners and encourage continued interest in STEM careers. Public and private institutions of higher education are explicitly eligible, and the opportunity is newly posted and clearly active on a long-running receipt cycle.
Best-fit screen: Stronger fit for LGUs with youth STEM outreach, health education, biomedical faculty engagement, museum or informal-learning partnerships, or Extension-style science-literacy infrastructure than for campuses seeking narrowly lab-based research support.
Deadline: Rolling / active through May 25, 2029
Link: NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) (R25 – Clinical Trial Not Allowed) - Training Program for Federal TRIO Programs (84.103A) | U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: $550,000–$1,100,000 per year
Estimated number of awards: 6
Synopsis: This open FY 2026 competition funds institutions of higher education and other nonprofit entities to provide training that strengthens the skills of project directors and staff working in Federal TRIO Programs. Allowable activities include conferences, seminars, internships, workshops, and training manuals.
Best-fit screen: Best for universities with deep TRIO experience and the operational capacity to run regional or national professional-development offerings; more relevant to student-support and access units than to research offices, but a solid institutional-capacity opportunity.
Deadline: Application deadline, July 6, 2026
Link: Training Program for Federal TRIO Programs (84.103A)
Youth, Family & Consumer Wellbeing
- Open Call for Proposals 2026 (LEVANTE) | Jacobs Foundation
Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: Up to $250,000 for regular projects; up to $600,000 for large projects; up to $1,000,000 for infrastructure projects
Estimated number of awards: Not stated
Synopsis: Jacobs is expanding its LEVANTE network to support longitudinal child-development research on learning variability, with special interest in causal inference and dense measurement approaches. Applicants must be employed by and part of a research lab at an institution of higher education or research institute.
Best-fit screen: Best for research-active LGUs with child development, education, human sciences, psychology, or youth-learning teams that can run rigorous longitudinal studies and participate in a global research network.
Deadline: Initial application deadline, June 10, 2026
Link: Open Call for Proposals 2026 – LEVANTE (Levante) - Institutional Challenge Grant | William T. Grant FoundationEligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: $650,000 initial three-year award; grantees may later apply for a two-year continuation grant of $350,000Estimated number of awards: Not stated
Synopsis: This open foundation competition supports university-based research institutes, schools, and centers in building sustained research-practice partnerships with public agencies or nonprofit organizations to reduce inequality in youth outcomes. The program emphasizes both a joint research agenda and institutional changes that help universities value and sustain partnership-oriented research.
Best-fit screen: Strong fit for LGUs with colleges of education, youth development, Extension-connected community partnerships, or public-policy centers that already have durable public-sector or nonprofit partners and want to build long-term research-practice partnership infrastructure.
Deadline: Application deadline, September 9, 2026, 3:00 p.m. ET
Link: Institutional Challenge Grant - FY 2026 Future Leaders Exchange Global (FLEX Global) | U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
Amount: Placement Component: $400,000–$10,000,000; Administrative Component: up to approximately $22,000,000
Estimated number of awards: Up to 11
Synopsis: FLEX Global will fund one administrative award and multiple placement awards to run a large-scale high school exchange program for inbound foreign students and outbound U.S. students, with host-family placement, school placement, participant support, and leadership programming. Public and private IHEs are explicitly eligible.
Best-fit screen: Best for universities with substantial international exchange operations, host-placement management, youth safeguarding, and program-compliance capacity; less useful for institutions seeking research or Extension implementation funding, but a meaningful direct-applicant opportunity for campuses that run major exchange platforms.
Deadline: Application deadline, June 29, 2026
Link: FY 2026 Future Leaders Exchange Global (FLEX Global)
