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Toolkit for USDA External Research Funding

Mission, History, and Organization of USDA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture was established in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln. The mission of the agency is to “provide leadership on food, agriculture, and natural resources” through scientific research and education. The USDA is divided into seven major focus areas. Of the seven, only one – Research, Education and Economics – maintains a sizeable competitive grants program on a consistent basis. The remaining divisions emphasize service over basic and applied research; funding for researchers may be available through these divisions by way of federal initiatives and other mechanisms. The seven divisions include: 1) Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services; 2) Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services; 3) Food Safety; 4) Marketing and Regulatory Programs; 5) Natural Resources and Environment; 6) Research, Education and Economics; and 7) Rural Development. These divisions are described very briefly here, and more detail on the annual competitive grants programs is provided below, in the section titled  “Granting Mechanisms and Awards.”

Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services

The primary role of this division is to provide financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and other producers in need. The need may arise from widespread crop destruction or production interruption because of frost, drought, high wind and damaging rain or hail, and other natural occurrences over which humans have little or no control.

Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services

This division administers food and nutrition assistance programs through such mechanisms as school lunch programs, and consumer information on diet and nutrition, including nutrition education.
 

Food Safety

The primary role of this division is the inspection and monitoring of commercial supplies of meat, poultry, and egg products. This includes labeling and packaging protocols, and food safety programs.

 

Marketing and Regulatory Programs

This division regulates the handling and care of agricultural animals and plants in production and research, and sets national and international standards.
 

Natural Resources and Environment

This division works toward sustainable management of land and natural resources, and prevention of damage to the natural environment as a result of agricultural practices.
 

Research, Education and Economics

This division advances the USDA mission through integrated research, analysis, and education. It is discussed in more detail in the next section.
     

Rural Development    

This division provides financial assistance to rural areas to build essential public facilities such as sewer systems, housing, health clinics, and emergency facilities.
     

Granting Mechanisms and Awards

The primary USDA competitive grant program is managed through the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). Research programs are organized around the following national emphasis areas:

  • Agricultural & Food Biosecurity
  • Agricultural Systems
  • Animals & Animal Products
  • Biotechnology & Genomics
  • Economics & Commerce
  • Families, Youth, & Community
  • Food, Nutrition & Health
  • Natural Resources & Environment
  • Pest Management
  • Plants & Plant Products
  • Technology & Engineering

 
Funding opportunity categories under CSREES include: (1) Broadly Competitive Programs; (2) Education-Related Competitive Opportunities; and (3) Competitive Opportunities Managed in Cooperation with Other USDA Agencies.

Three additional programs provide “formula” funding for institutions that meet specific qualifications, and may provide support for research: (1) Awards for 1862 Land-Grant Universities; (2) Awards for 1890 Institutions; and (3) Awards for 1994 Land-Grant and Minority-Serving Institutions.

Funding opportunities are listed on the CSREES web site. Researchers may search for funding opportunities based on scientific emphasis, eligibility, and specific funding program. Alternatively, researchers may search for opportunities by browsing through the comprehensive listing alphabetically. In addition, the web site provides all relevant grant application forms for downloading, as well as instructions for proposal preparation and submission. Abstracts and project reports for currently funded projects are also available on the CSREES web site.
 

Broadly Competitive Programs

Grant programs within this category include the National Research Initiative, Integrated Research, Education and Extension Competitive Grants, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, and Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative. The National Research Initiative is the “flagship” competitive grants program and supports basic and applied science related to the USDA mission of agriculture, food, and the environment. Awards through this program are based on a scientific peer-review process. A comprehensive list of currently funded National Research Initiative projects is available on the CSREES web site.

A single, comprehensive solicitation is issued once each year for the entire National Research Initiative suite of funding programs. That document gives important information about specific research priorities, which may change from year to year. It also gives guidelines on funding limits and other information related to preparing proposals. For example, there is information on the many types of applications (new, renewal, resubmitted).

It is important to understand that the National Research Initiative annual solicitation also has information about specific funding categories, such as Equipment and Instrumentation, New Investigator, Conference, Standard Research, Career Enhancement – sabbatical awards, Seed Grants, and others. Investigators may submit applications to any of the individual National Research Initiative programs (such as Air Quality, Managed Ecosystems) to conduct standard research, or to purchase equipment or address any of the other specialized funding needs. An investigator wishing, for example, to test innovative methods in hydrologic modeling could apply for a Seed Grant from the Water and Watersheds Program, while investigators wishing to purchase specialized air monitoring equipment would apply for an Equipment Grant from the Air Quality Program. Examples of National Research Initiative funding programs are given in the section below. However, researchers are encouraged to consult the CSREES web site to obtain the current National Research Initiative solicitation document in order to see the entire range of possibilities.
 

Education-Related Competitive Opportunities

Grant programs within this category include the Higher Education Challenge Grants, Secondary and Two-Year Postsecondary Agriculture Education Challenge Grants, Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship Grants, Multicultural Scholars, and International Science and Education Competitive Grants. These programs are intended to strengthen agricultural education at the undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels. In some cases, they are also intended to improve the international content in agricultural training programs, and the degree to which graduates are prepared to effectively function in the international agricultural milieu.

Competitive Opportunities Managed in Cooperation with Other USDA Agencies

Programs include the Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Competitive Grants program, Small Business Innovation Research, and Risk Management Education. These programs are intended to help “jump-start” research and development activities in areas of national importance, such as genomics, and to research that could lead to a significant public benefit.

Example Funding Programs

Examples of competitive funding programs managed by the National Research Initiative Program include:

  • Air Quality
  • Animal Biosecurity
  • Carbon Cycle Science
  • Food Quality and Value
  • Functional Genomics
  • Land Cover and Land Use Change
  • Managed Ecosystems
  • Microbial Genome Sequencing
  • Nanoscale Science and Engineering
  • Plant Biochemistry
  • Plant Genetic Mechanisms
  • Soil Processes
  • Water and Watersheds

These are examples of the basic and applied research programs that support the USDA mission. The list does not include any of the restricted competitive funding programs, such as those for minority serving institutions. Those programs are also listed on the CSREES web site. Researchers are advised to determine their eligibility for such programs, as they are important sources for research and education funding.

Suggestions

The fundamental mission of USDA is food production and safety, and management of the impacts of agriculture on the natural environment. While program areas within the National Research Initiative are far reaching and cover many scientific disciplines, it is always essential to clearly state how the proposed research would address the USDA mission. When research has the potential for broad applications, some of which are related to agriculture, it is important to stress the agriculture-specific applications and rationales in the grant proposal.