Research Facilities Act Program

The Research Facilities Act Program (RFAP) aims to strengthen the Nation’s agricultural research capacity by modernizing research infrastructure through competitive grants. RFAP seeks to enable institutions to expand and enhance facilities that support cutting-edge research in food and agricultural sciences, provide environments that foster innovation and collaboration among scientists and students, and ensure research spaces meet current and future needs for technology, long-term viability, and workforce development.

1. Land-Grant University (LGU) System, which includes the 1862 public universities; the 1890 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Tuskegee University; and the 1994 tribal colleges and universities (TCU).
2. Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) of higher education having a demonstrable capacity to carry out the research in food and agricultural sciences. To determine whether your institution is listed as an HSI, consult the most recent version of the Eligibility Matrix on the U.S. Department of Education website. The Eligibility Matrix is a read-only Excel worksheet that lists data for postsecondary institutions. First, select “HSI” from the options at the bottom of the screen. Find your institution and then look at column J (“Meets the [year] Title V HSI Definition”). If the column states “yes,” your institution is eligible.
3. Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA). To be eligible for RFAP grant, an institution must satisfy the eligibility requirements for NLGCA designation, request the designation, and be certified by NIFA. To view a list of certified NLGCA institutions, visit NIFA-20-001 Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA) List. Please visit the NIFA-19-005 NLGCA Eligibility Flow Chart resource to determine whether or not an institution is eligible to be designated as a NLGCA as defined in the 2018 Farm Bill. The request for designation form can be found on the Request for Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture Designation resource page.
4. Insular Area Institutions - institution of higher education, as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1995 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)), that is located in an insular area and that has a demonstrable capacity to carry out teaching and extension programs in the food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences. All public or non-profit 2-year and 4-year accredited institutions of higher education that offer certificate/degree programs in food and agricultural sciences are eligible. Individual land-grant colleges and universities, and other institutions that have secured land-grant status through Federal legislation, and which are located in insular areas are automatically eligible for awards under the DEG grant program as direct individual applicants.
5. Other entities eligible to receive funds under a capacity and infrastructure program (as defined in section 6971(f)(1)(C). See Appendix IV under a capacity and infrastructure programs.

As identified in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.