The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently announced a grant opportunity under their Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Foundational Applied Science Program. The new priority area, called Extension, Education, and USDA Climate Hubs Partnership, allows eligible applicants to apply for up to a $1.5 million grant to fund a 3-5 year project to provide effective, translatable, and scalable approaches to address climate change through regional partnerships that include the USDA Climate Hubs and extension (e.g., the Cooperative Extension Service). The 2021 deadline to submit an application is Thursday, July 22^nd at 5:00 pm ET.

Proposed projects should meet the needs of one on more of the USDA Climate Hubs. Interested parties are encouraged to contact their regional Climate Hub to discuss their project idea with the Hub Director as soon as possible. As projects are meant to be collaborative, it is advised to involve the Climate Hub and Extension early on in the project development process.

Several priorities of the USDA Caribbean Climate Hub are listed below. We welcome collaboration on proposals supporting extension and education efforts addressing these priorities.

USDA Caribbean Climate Hub Priority Areas

Contact: Caribbean Hub Director William Gould william.a.gould@usda.gov

In tandem with local Hub priorities, all proposed partnerships should work towards one or more of the following long-term socio-economic impacts: 1) net-zero emissions agriculture; 2) working lands adapted to climate change; 3) a diverse workforce that can effectively communicate about climate change with a variety of stakeholders and can incorporate climate considerations into managing working lands; and 4) climate justice including equity in opportunities and burden-sharing.

More information: For information on eligibility and other details, see the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program: Foundational and Applied Science Program Fiscal Years (FY) 2021 and 2022 Request for Applications. See page 71 for the section on Extension, Education & USDA Climate Hubs Partnership. NIFA recently discussed this opportunity in a webinar, and the recording is available here.

Download 63 KB PDF Funding opportunity announcement and Caribbean Climate Hub Priority Areas for Extension, Education & USDA Climate Hubs Partnership Funding.pdf

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.