Coordinating Agricultural Development & Innovation (CADI) to enable America First Trade Wins in Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia
🏛 Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA-FAS)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 28, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for state cooperative institutions and colleges/universities in the United States. Applicants must support U.S. agricultural trade and economic development through applied research. Projects focus on trade barrier removal and market access in Eastern Europe (non-EU), South Caucasus, and Central Asia.
All applicants require active SAM.gov registration before the deadline. Inactive, expired, or excluded SAM accounts result in immediate ineligibility. No exceptions or waivers are considered.
The research must produce actionable recommendations and track economic impact on U.S. farmers and exporters. Final deliverables include economic impact reports and county-level impact estimates.
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Program description
The CADI, funded through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) and the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, supports a portfolio of projects in Eastern Europe (non-E.U.), the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. These projects are designed to make American agriculture safer, stronger, and more prosperous. Specifically, the portfolio seeks to prevent and remove trade barriers for U.S. agricultural exports and support U.S. exporters and trading partners. Collectively, the portfolio is working to:
• Add over $622 million to the U.S. economy by removing trade barriers.
• Contribute an additional $312 million to the U.S. economy through direct support to American exporters and trading partners.
• Avoid over $50 billion in potential economic harm to the U.S. economy by preventing lost market access due to the spread of livestock contagions to the United States and new trade barriers.
The awardee will conduct original basic and applied research that will focus on advancing a trade agenda that benefits America’s ranchers, farmers, and producers.
Through this applied research, the awardee will:
• Provide throughout the period of performance actionable recommendations to help achieve the CADI portfolio’s targets.
• Track the portfolio’s attributable accomplishments toward these trade outcomes, including the development of U.S. county-level impact estimates.
DELIVERABLES
1. Final report on the recipient’s research to quantify the CADI portfolio’s direct economic impact on American farmers;
2. Annual economic impact report that quantifies the CADI portfolio’s direct economic impact on American farmers. This report will specifically analyze the CADI’s portfolio of projects’ progress toward achieving the following targets:
a. Armenia:
i. Add $92,851,795 to the U.S. economy by increasing the sale of 200,000 MT U.S. wheat (40k MT sold once per year, for 5 years) through technical assistance to trading partners.
ii. Add $2,197,937 to the U.S. economy by increasing U.S. exports to Armenia by 5% using short-term training and technical assistance to remove food safety-related technical barriers to trade.
b. Georgia:
i. Add $92,851,795 to the U.S. economy by facilitating the sale of 200,000 MT U.S. wheat (40k MT sold once per year, for 5 years) through technical assistance to trading partners.
ii. Add $15,443,458 to the U.S. economy by increasing the U.S. market share of the Georgian poultry market by 1.1% over 5 years through short-term agricultural trade promotion and technical assistance.
iii. Add $892,190 to the U.S. economy by facilitating $433,102 in the export of U.S. aquaculture inputs short-term agricultural trade promotion and technical assistance.
c. Kazakhstan:
i. Contribute $28,000,000 to the U.S. economy by supporting 1,000,000 bushels of expanded market opportunity for U.S. wheat, per year for 5 years, through improved agricultural production data.
d. Ukraine:
i. Maintain $439,441,866 in U.S. economic activity by ensuring $224,994,460 in U.S. agricultural exports to Ukraine continue over 5 years by preventing new barriers to U.S. agricultural exports.
ii. Protect $50,000,000 in damage to the U.S. economy by maintaining U.S. pork’s global market access by preventing the spread of African Swine Fever to the United States.
iii. Catalyze $1,030,000 in U.S. economic activity by unlocking the Ukrainian livestock genetics market and facilitating $500,000 in U.S. livestock genetics exports through short-term agricultural trade promotion and technical assistance.
iv. Add $31,135,852 to the U.S. economy by unlocking the Ukrainian purebred cattle market, and supporting U.S. exporters in achieving 50% market share for 5 years.
v. Contribute $14,255,778 to the U.S. economy by supporting 250,000 bushels of expanded market opportunity for U.S. wheat, per year for 5 years, through improved agricultural production data.
vi. Contribute $16,731,044 to the U.S. economy by supporting 250,000 bushels of expanded market opportunity for U.S. oilseeds, per year for 5 years, through improved agricultural production data.
e. Uzbekistan:
i. Add $9,177,352 to the U.S. economy by increasing U.S. market share of soybean exports by 5%, and sustain this market share for 5 years through short-term agricultural trade promotion and technical assistance.
ii. Add $4,735,105 to the U.S. economy by increasing U.S. market share of distilled spirits exports by 6.2%, and sustaining that market share for 5 years through short-term agricultural trade promotion and technical assistance.
3. A quarterly presentation to the USDA/FAS CADI management team on the CADI portfolio’s progress toward achieving America First trade targets, providing strategic recommendations to maximize outcomes for the benefit of American agriculture; and,
4. Annually, provide at least one success story per country where CADI operates. Each story must include a detailed analysis of USDA/FAS accomplishments in one of the following areas:
a. Preventing or removing trade barriers
b. Assisting U.S. exporters and trading partners
All work under this research program is unclassified. The awardee shall ensure that all information is safeguarded against unauthorized access. Any personnel performing work under this agreement who will have access to non-public information will require Public Trust (Moderate Risk) background investigations (also known as T2 background investigation) that will be issued by USDA prior to beginning work.
The projected Period of Performance is from November 1, 2026 – September 31, 2028, with the possibility of an extension as described in Section 9.1.
The work will require Temporary Duty Travel (TDY) to foreign and domestic locations that remain to be determined. A total of 4 one-week international TDYs to Eastern Europe (non-E.U.), the South Caucasus and Central Asia should be included in the budget, as well as four one-week domestic trips to locations to be determined.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- Active SAM.gov registration confirmation
- Project narrative describing research methodology
- Budget and budget narrative
- Institutional commitment letter
- Organizational capacity documentation
- References and relevant experience in agricultural trade research
Program contact
- 👤 Kendra Arrington Grantor
- 📧 Benjamin.kairn@usda.gov
- 📞 202-690-5503
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 10.960 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$7,070,000
-
$4,000,000
-
$3,500,000
-
$2,300,000
-
$2,000,000
-
$1,892,929
-
$1,830,000
-
$1,363,838
-
$1,356,432
-
$1,100,000
Top States by Funding
- DC 6 awards $2.8M
- TN 1 awards $0.4M
- CA 1 awards $0.4M
- AL 1 awards $0.1M
- FL 1 awards $0.1M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
State cooperative institutions and colleges/universities in the U.S. All applicants must have active SAM.gov registration before the deadline.
What geographic areas does this grant support?
Projects in Eastern Europe (non-EU countries), the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. Focus areas include Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.
What activities are supported?
Applied research to remove agricultural trade barriers, support U.S. exporters, and quantify economic impact on American farmers. Work includes technical assistance, trade promotion, and market analysis.
What is the funding range?
Total pool is $997,500. Individual awards around $332,500 based on scope and portfolio needs.
When is the deadline?
Fixed deadline of September 28, 2026. No rolling deadlines or extensions for late applications.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Register in SAM.gov at least two weeks before the deadline to avoid disqualification for inactive status.
- Focus your research proposal on quantifiable economic impacts tied to the portfolio's specific targets by country.
- Clearly explain how your work will generate actionable recommendations for the CADI portfolio across the five-year period.
- Include detailed methodology for county-level impact estimates and attribution of outcomes to CADI projects.
- Ensure your institution has strong relationships with agricultural stakeholders and trade organizations in target regions.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Failing to maintain active SAM.gov registration results in automatic disqualification regardless of proposal quality. Proposals that don't clearly connect research to trade barrier removal or quantifiable U.S. farm income gains are weak. Underestimating the complexity of measuring attributable economic impact across multiple countries and agricultural sectors weakens competitiveness.
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