CFDA / Assistance Listing · Reference

CFDA 10.500: Cooperative Extension Service

Formula and competitive funding to land-grant universities supporting agricultural research, extension, and education. The largest federal investment in agricultural workforce knowledge transfer.

Agency

USDA — National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)

Typical award

Smith-Lever formula allocations: $1M – $30M per state. Competitive grants (Beginning Farmer, etc.): $250K – $1M.

Eligible applicants

Land-grant colleges and universities (1862, 1890, and 1994 institutions)
Cooperative state research programs
501(c)(3) agricultural and food-systems organizations (typically sub-recipients)

What this CFDA funds

Cooperative extension programming — agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences, community development. Formula funds support state-level extension infrastructure; competitive grants target specific priorities (Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive).

What winning applicants look like

Land-grant universities are the primary recipients. 501(c)(3) ag-focused nonprofits typically partner with state extension as sub-recipients. New competitive programs increasingly fund tribal-college extension and minority-serving institution capacity-building.

Common pitfalls + things to know

Smith-Lever formula funds require state matching (1:1 typically), so direct nonprofit access is limited. Competitive NIFA programs have narrow eligibility windows. Multi-state extension projects require formal Memorandums of Understanding with each participating land-grant institution.

Related CFDAs to also explore

CFDA 10.215 — Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
CFDA 10.216 — 1890 Land-Grant Institutions Capacity Building
CFDA 10.310 — Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)

Reference guides

Evergreen explainers for nonprofit grant offices and federal grant seekers.

Federal Grants for Nonprofits: A 2026 Guide for 501(c)(3) Organizations — CFDA prefixes, applicant-type code 12, forecasts, the deadline trap.
The Grants.gov Search Guide: How to Actually Find Federal Grants in 2026 — practical filter walkthrough, native-vs-paid tool comparison.
→ All Grant Wire articles

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Always verify in the official source. CFDA program details, eligibility, and award ranges change with each annual NOFO cycle. Confirm at sam.gov/content/assistance-listings or the agency's program office before you build an application strategy. This page is editorial reference, not an official agency notice.