Tribal Colleges Education Equity Grants Program
🏛 National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Sep 3, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for Tribal Colleges and Universities designated as 1994 Land-grant Institutions. Eligible applicants must be one of 34 federally recognized tribal colleges listed by NIFA. The program supports education capacity building in food and agricultural sciences for Native American and Alaska Native students.
Funded projects may address curricula design, faculty development, student experiential learning, equipment for STEAM teaching, recruitment and retention, or strategic partnerships. Award recipients can subcontract with non-eligible organizations if necessary for project execution.
The program operates on a four-year funding cycle. Applications must meet all eligibility criteria by the deadline.
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Program description
The TCEG program (assistance listing 10.221) is designed to help build Tribal education capacity in the food and agricultural sciences for Native Alaskan/American Indian students. This NOFO will begin a new four-year continuation funding cycle. The six legislatively mandated priorities are:
• Curricula design and materials development.
• Faculty development and teacher preparation.
• Student experiential learning
• Equipment and instrumentation for teaching science, technology, engineering, arts and math.
• Student recruitment and retention.
• Instruction delivery systems and strategic partnerships.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- Application form (likely SF-424 or NIFA-specific form)
- Project narrative/proposal
- Budget and budget justification
- Institutional eligibility documentation
- Letters of support (from partners or community)
- Curriculum vitae or resumes of key personnel
Program contact
- 👤 Catherine Bohnert Grantor
- 📧 grantapplicationquestions@usda.gov
- 📞 816-398-3349
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 10.221 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$762,856
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$762,856
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$762,856
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$762,856
-
$762,856
-
$762,856
-
$762,856
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$762,856
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$762,856
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$762,856
Top States by Funding
- MT 8 awards $5.0M
- ND 6 awards $4.2M
- MN 5 awards $3.4M
- NM 4 awards $2.7M
- AZ 4 awards $2.4M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 10.221). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $6,772,151 | |
| 2025 | $5,146,006 | |
| 2026 est. | $8,000,000 |
FAQ
Who is eligible to apply for this grant?
Only Tribal Colleges and Universities designated as 1994 Land-grant Institutions. NIFA publishes a list of 34 eligible institutions. Check that list before applying.
Can my organization subcontract with other groups?
Yes. Award recipients can subcontract with organizations not on the eligible list if necessary for project work.
What activities does this grant fund?
Curricula design, faculty development, student experiential learning, equipment for STEAM teaching, student recruitment and retention, and strategic partnerships in food and agricultural sciences.
What is the award amount?
The fixed award is $228,571 per grant. The program has $8 million in total funding available.
When is the deadline?
The application deadline is October 7, 2026. This is a fixed date, not rolling.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Verify your institution is on NIFA's official 1994 Land-grant list before investing application effort. Ineligible institutions will be excluded.
- Align your project to at least one of the six mandated priorities: curricula, faculty development, student learning, equipment, recruitment/retention, or partnerships.
- Emphasize how your project builds food and agricultural science capacity and benefits Native American or Alaska Native students specifically.
- Include letters of support from community partners and demonstrate alignment with tribal educational goals and workforce needs.
- Budget realistically for the four-year project period. Show clear milestones and deliverables for each year.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applications fail to verify institutional eligibility before applying. Ineligible institutions are automatically excluded. Projects that don't clearly address at least one of the six mandated priorities struggle to score well. Weak connections between project activities and food/agricultural science education hurt competitiveness.
Similar grants
- OPEN Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program — National Institute of Food and Agriculture
- OPEN Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) — U.S. National Science Foundation
- OPEN Tribal Colleges Extension Program Special Emphasis — National Institute of Food and Agriculture
- OPEN Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program — National Institute of Food and Agriculture
- OPEN Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Foundational and Applied Science Program — National Institute of Food and Agriculture