(FOA)-Limited Submission – USDA/NIFA – Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants Program (SPECA) – USDA-NIFA-SAECP-006697; March 12, 2019

 

Purpose:  The National Institute of Food of Food and Agriculture invites applications for the Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants (SPECA) program, which seeks to:

(a)   promote and strengthen secondary education and two-year postsecondary education in the food, agriculture, natural resources and human (FANH) sciences in order to help ensure the existence of a workforce in the United States that's qualified to serve the FANH sciences system; and

(b)   promote complementary and synergistic linkages among secondary, two-year postsecondary, and higher education programs in the FANH sciences in order to advance excellence in education and encourage more young Americans to pursue and complete a baccalaureate or higher degree in the FANH sciences.

 

SPECA-funded projects encourage academic institutions, in partnership with organizations and employers to identify and address challenges facing the FANH sciences education and workforce community. The talent pipeline for the agriculture workforce begins well before college admission and a focus on secondary programs holds tremendous potential to increase not only the number, but the diversity of students entering baccalaureate programs, a requisite for the innovation needed in the FANH sciences. Accordingly, SPECA-funded project activities shall support the creation, adaptation, and adoption of learning materials and teaching strategies to operationalize what we know about how students learn. Applicants may submit one of the following three types of projects: Regular, Collaborative Type 1, or Collaborative Type 2.

 

1. Regular Projects

2. Collaborative Grant Type 1 (CG1) (Applicant + One or more Partners)

3. Collaborative Grant Type 2 (CG2) (Applicant + Two or more Partners)

 

Note: SPECA-funded projects engage more than a single course or individual instructor. Collaborations with an agency or research facility, including a USDA agency, are encouraged to leverage grant funds and contribute toward program goals and objectives.

 

Funding Amounts: Regular Projects – up to $50,000 for 24 to 36 months; CG1 projects – up to $150,000 for 24 to 36 months; CG2 projects: Up to $300,000 for 36 months

 

Link to Funding Opportunity Announcement

 

Institutional Limit: 1

 

Internal Competition: To participate in the university’s selection process,please upload the following materials,assembled into a single PDF file, to the Office of the Vice President for Research via this portal  with a copy of the PDF file to your Associate Dean for Research by March 12, 2019:

 

• Names and departments or affiliations of the Project Director and other key personnel or partners;
• Title of program and/or funding opportunity announcement number;
• Type of project proposed (Regular, CG1 or CG2)
• Brief project description (2 pages maximum)

 

A committee will be convened to review the material and make a recommendation.

 

For questions or issues with submission through the portal, email the limited submission mailbox (limitedsubmissions@uky.edu) or call 257-2861.

 

Agency Deadline: April 16, 2019