Discover Funding Opportunities for Cooperative Extension and Higher Education

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)
  • 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)
    
  • FY26 Bureau of Land Management Rangeland Resource Management – Bureau wide | U.S. Bureau of Land Management
    Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
    Amount: $50,000–$250,000
    Estimated number of awards: 7
    Synopsis: This newly posted BLM competition supports nationally significant rangeland work that crosses state boundaries, including land-health monitoring, soil carbon sequestration, resilient landscapes, restoration, ecological site description work, and stakeholder education and training. Public and private institutions of higher education are explicitly eligible.
    Best-fit screen: Strong fit for land-grant universities with Extension, range science, soils, restoration, and multi-state public-lands partnership capacity; especially worth review where field implementation and applied monitoring can be paired.
    Deadline: Application deadline, August 14, 2026
    Link: FY26 Bureau of Land Management Rangeland Resource Management – Bureau wide (Simpler Grants)

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Workforce Preparation & Job Readiness

• FY 2026 Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals and Congress-Bundestag/Bundesrat Staff Exchange | 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 newly posted ECA competition funds a U.S. organization to run the CBYX young-professionals exchange and related staff-exchange travel component. The program includes year-long academic and professional exchanges, with American participants studying in Germany and German participants studying in the United States, alongside practical work experience.
  Best-fit screen: Best for universities with strong exchange-program administration, international student support, and employer-placement capacity; more operationally intensive than research-oriented.
  Deadline: Application deadline, August 14, 2026
  Link: FY 2026 Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals and Congress-Bundestag/Bundesrat Staff Exchange (Simpler Grants)
  
  
• 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
• 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)
• Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) | Health Resources and Services Administration
  Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
  Amount: Not stated
  Estimated number of awards: Not stated
  Synopsis: NFLP helps accredited schools of nursing increase the supply of qualified nurse faculty by providing loan support tied to future faculty service. Public and private institutions of higher education are eligible applicants through qualifying nursing programs.
  Best-fit screen: Best for LGUs with accredited nursing schools that want a direct faculty-pipeline opportunity tied to long-term workforce development rather than short-term training alone.
  Deadline: Application deadline, July 10, 2026
  Link: Nurse Faculty Loan Program
• 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)

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Agriculture, Food Systems & Natural Resources Innovation

• Organic Transitions Program (ORG) | U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
  Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
  Amount: $20,000–$1,000,000
  Estimated number of awards: $7,500,000 in total funding available
  Synopsis: ORG supports research, education, and extension projects that help producers and processors transition to organic systems and improve organic agriculture’s environmental and economic performance. Colleges and universities, including land-grant institutions, are explicitly eligible applicants.
  Best-fit screen: High-priority review for LGUs with organic systems research, producer education, on-farm demonstration, and Extension delivery capacity.
  Deadline: Application deadline, July 13, 2026
  Link: Organic Transitions Program
• Urban, Indoor, and Emerging Agriculture (UIE) | U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
  Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible and/or LGUs can partner with another institution
  Amount: $50,000–$500,000
  Estimated number of awards: $4,000,000 in funding available
  Synopsis: UIE funds research, education, and extension efforts that address key problems in urban, indoor, and other emerging agriculture systems. Colleges and universities are explicitly eligible, and the program also allows multi-entity group applications.
  Best-fit screen: Strong fit for LGUs with controlled-environment agriculture, urban food systems, community food access, and Extension-facing applied research or technical assistance capacity.
  Deadline: Application deadline, July 27, 2026
  
  Link: Urban, Indoor, and Emerging 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)
• Tribal Colleges Extension Program – Capacity Applications | U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
  Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
  Amount: $300,000
  Estimated number of awards: 35
  Synopsis: Newly posted TCEP capacity applications support informal, community-based Extension work led by 1994 land-grant institutions across agriculture, nutrition, family wellbeing, natural resources, and related topics important to Tribal communities.
  Best-fit screen: High-priority review for 1994 institutions seeking direct Extension capacity support with strong community delivery plans and durable local relationships.
  Deadline: Application deadline, August 14, 2026
  Link: Tribal Colleges Extension Program – Capacity Applications (Nation Institute of Food and Agriculture)
• Farm Business Management and Benchmarking Competitive Grants Program (FBMB) | U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
  Eligibility label: Both
  Amount: $200,000–$450,000
  Estimated number of awards: Not stated
  Synopsis: FBMB is a newly posted NIFA competition that supports innovative Extension approaches and collaborative efforts to maintain and expand public farm financial management benchmarking resources, including FINBIN. Colleges and universities may apply directly, and groups of two or more eligible entities may also apply together.
  Best-fit screen: Strong fit for land-grant universities with farm-management Extension, producer economics, benchmark-data expertise, and regional collaboration capacity; especially useful for institutions serving producer-heavy states or multi-state farm business networks.
  Deadline: Application deadline, July 20, 2026
  Link: Farm Business Management and Benchmarking Competitive Grants Program (FBMB) (Nation Institute of Food and Agriculture)
• Research Facilities Act Program (RFAP) | U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture
  Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
  Amount: $100,000–$30,000,000
  Estimated number of awards: Not stated
  Synopsis: RFAP is a newly posted NIFA infrastructure competition that provides support for construction, alteration, acquisition, modernization, renovation, or remodeling of agricultural research facilities. Eligibility is limited to institutions eligible under NIFA capacity and infrastructure programs, which makes it especially relevant to land-grant and similarly situated institutions.
  Best-fit screen: High-value opportunity for land-grant universities with shovel-ready agricultural research facility needs, matching capacity, and a clear case that upgraded infrastructure will materially strengthen food-and-ag systems research.
  Deadline: Application deadline, July 17, 2026
  Link: Research Facilities Act Program (RFAP) (Nation Institute of Food and Agriculture)

• Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program FY2026 | U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service
  Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
  Amount: Up to $750,000
  Estimated number of awards: 6
  Synopsis: USDA FAS is seeking U.S. colleges and universities to run applied research, extension, and education collaborations with counterparts in selected emerging market economies through the Borlaug Fellowship program. The opportunity is directly open to state cooperative institutions and other colleges and universities as defined in federal statute.
  Best-fit screen: Strong fit for LGUs with international agriculture, Extension, research training, and market-development capacity tied to U.S. agricultural competitiveness.
  Deadline: Full application due August 14, 2026
  Link: Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program FY2026

• Cochran Fellowship Program FY2026 | U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service
  Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
  Amount: Up to $150,000
  Estimated number of awards: 7
  Synopsis: USDA FAS is also seeking colleges and universities to administer the Cochran Fellowship Program, which supports applied research, extension, and education collaborations with foreign counterparts from selected emerging market economies. U.S. state cooperative institutions and other colleges and universities are the eligible applicants.
  Best-fit screen: Good fit for LGUs with global agriculture training, export-oriented industry relationships, and capacity to host practical fellowships rather than only lab-based research exchanges.
  Deadline: Full application due August 14, 2026
  Link: Cochran Fellowship Program FY2026

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Resilient Lands & Communities

• FY26 Bureau of Land Management Rangeland Resource Management – Bureau wide | U.S. Bureau of Land Management
  Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
  Amount: $50,000–$250,000
  Estimated number of awards: 7
  Synopsis: This newly posted BLM competition supports nationally significant rangeland work that crosses state boundaries, including land-health monitoring, soil carbon sequestration, resilient landscapes, restoration, ecological site description work, and stakeholder education and training. Public and private institutions of higher education are explicitly eligible.
  Best-fit screen: Strong fit for land-grant universities with Extension, range science, soils, restoration, and multi-state public-lands partnership capacity; especially worth review where field implementation and applied monitoring can be paired.
  Deadline: Application deadline, August 14, 2026
  Link: FY26 Bureau of Land Management Rangeland Resource Management – Bureau wide (Simpler Grants)

• Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Classic for federal fiscal year 2026 | U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service
  Eligibility label: Both
  Amount: $250,000–$10,000,000
  Estimated number of awards: 31
  Synopsis: RCPP Classic supports partner-led conservation projects addressing agricultural production, water, soil, habitat, and related natural resource priorities at scale. Institutions of higher education are explicitly named as eligible applicants, and the structure strongly favors multi-actor partnership models.
  Best-fit screen: High-priority review for LGUs with Extension, producer networks, watershed or conservation partnerships, and multi-county or multi-state implementation capacity.
  Deadline: Full proposal due August 24, 2026
  Link: Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Classic FY 2026

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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)

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Youth, Family & Consumer Heath and Wellbeing

• • Rural Health Network Advancement Program | Health Resources and Services Administration
    Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
    Amount: Up to $500,000
    Estimated number of awards: 6
    Synopsis: This new HRSA pilot supports integrated rural hospital and clinic networks working to strengthen operations, preserve services, and build new lines of care through coordinated network collaboration. Public and private institutions of higher education are listed as eligible applicants, provided they can demonstrate rural-serving capacity.
    Best-fit screen: Best for LGUs with rural health institutes, academic medical or nursing partners, and operating relationships with rural provider networks rather than campuses seeking a stand-alone research grant.
    Deadline: Full application due July 24, 2026
    Link: Rural Health Network Advancement Program
  • 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
    Link: FY 2026 Future Leaders Exchange Global (FLEX Global)
  • Maternal and Child Health Leadership, Education, and Advancement in Undergraduate Pathways (MCH LEAP) | Health Resources and Services Administration
    Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
    Amount: Not stated
    Estimated number of awards: Not stated
    Synopsis: MCH LEAP supports pathway programs that expand the maternal and child health workforce and improve access in rural and underserved communities. Public and nonprofit private institutions of higher education are explicitly eligible.
    Best-fit screen: Strong fit for LGUs with public health, nursing, social work, family sciences, or community health programs that can build undergraduate-to-workforce pathways tied to underserved populations.
    Deadline: Application deadline, July 10, 2026
    Link: MCH LEAP
  • Rural Residency Planning and Development Program | Health Resources and Services Administration
    Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
    Amount: Cap of $750,000
    Estimated number of awards: 15
    Synopsis: RRPD provides start-up support to create new accredited rural physician residency programs or rural track programs in qualifying specialties including family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, preventive medicine, general surgery, and OB-GYN. Public and private institutions of higher education are eligible, along with other domestic organizations.
    Best-fit screen: High-value review item for LGUs with medical schools, rural training sites, health-system partners, and a serious strategy for long-term rural residency sustainability.
    Deadline: Application deadline, July 8, 2026
    Link: Rural Residency Planning and Development Program
  • Strategies to Link, Engage, and Retain Men with HIV in Care: Implementation Technical Assistance Provider | Health Resources and Services Administration
    Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
    Amount: $3,240,000
    Estimated number of awards: 1
    Synopsis: This new HRSA SPNS competition will fund one implementation technical assistance provider to support efforts focused on linking, engaging, and retaining men with HIV in care. Public and private institutions of higher education are explicitly eligible.
    Best-fit screen: Best for universities with Ryan White, HIV implementation, public health TA, and community-partnership infrastructure; less relevant for institutions without strong applied HIV program capacity.
    Deadline: Application deadline, July 8, 2026
    Link: Strategies to Link, Engage, and Retain Men with HIV in Care: Implementation Technical Assistance Provider
  • Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities (LEND) | Health Resources and Services Administration
    Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
    Amount: $460,000–$734,000
    Estimated number of awards: 60
    Synopsis: LEND supports interdisciplinary leadership training tied to neurodevelopmental and related disabilities, and HRSA states that public or nonprofit agencies, including institutions of higher education, may apply. The FY 2026 posting was newly updated June 8, 2026, with a July 10 deadline.
    Best-fit screen: Strong fit for LGUs with academic health centers, disability and family-support expertise, Extension-adjacent family wellbeing programs, and cross-disciplinary clinical training infrastructure.
    Deadline: Application deadline, July 10, 2026
    Link: Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities (LEND)
  • Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems SEED Project: Scaling Effective Early Childhood Systems Development (ECCS SEED) | Health Resources and Services Administration
    Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
    Amount: Up to $875,000
    Estimated number of awards: 8
    Synopsis: ECCS SEED supports evidence-based strategies that improve access to quality care for prenatal-to-age-5 families and promote healthy child development and family wellbeing. Public and private institutions of higher education are explicitly eligible.
    Best-fit screen: Worth review for LGUs with maternal and child health, early childhood systems, family wellbeing, community health education, and state or local implementation partnerships.
    Deadline: Application deadline, July 10, 2026
    Link: Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems SEED Project: Scaling Effective Early Childhood Systems Development (ECCS SEED)
  • Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Research Training Grant (NRSA) | Health Resources and Services Administration
    Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
    Amount: $134,653–$500,000
    Estimated number of awards: 20
    Synopsis: This HRSA-administered NRSA program supports postdoctoral research training in primary care-related biomedical, behavioral, and health services research. Public and private nonprofit IHEs are eligible, but the notice limits applicants to programs previously funded between 2011 and 2025 under specified statutory authorities.
    Best-fit screen: Niche but important for eligible LGU health-sciences units that already have the specific prior-program lineage and want to deepen primary care research workforce development.
    Deadline: Application deadline, July 10, 2026
    Link: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Research Training Grant (NRSA)

• FY 2026 Youth Ambassadors Programs | U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
  Eligibility label: Direct Applicant Eligible
  Amount: $300,000 to $2,100,000
  Estimated number of awards: 8
  Synopsis: ECA’s FY 2026 Youth Ambassadors competition will support one or more program options for three-week exchanges focused on youth leadership, with U.S. youth and adult mentors participating as peers in U.S.-based exchanges. Public and private institutions of higher education are explicitly eligible, and the solicitation encourages creative and transformative use of AI concepts and tools.
  Best-fit screen: Best for universities with international youth programming, 4-H or youth-leadership ecosystems, exchange-program compliance capacity, and strong safeguarding and follow-on project support.
  Deadline: Application deadline, July 17, 2026
  Link: FY 2026 Youth Ambassadors Programs