Visitors learn about NDSU cover crop research. (NDSU photo)
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon hosted several land-grant university leaders at USDA for a roundtable discussion and announced the opening of the FY2026 funding opportunity for the Research Facilities Act program. President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts provided $125 million annually for the Research Facilities Act program and this historic investment will help address decades of deferred maintenance and accelerate modernization of agricultural research facilities across the country.
“A nation that cannot feed itself is not secure and for too long, many of our land-grant universities have faced aging facilities and mounting deferred maintenance costs that threaten their ability to conduct world-class agricultural research,” said Secretary Rollins.
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture will administer this competitive funding opportunity, and the funding will support renovation, expansion, and construction projects that strengthen research capacity and ensure America’s agricultural research enterprise remains equipped to meet the challenges facing America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers. Applicants must provide a dollar-for-dollar non-federal cash match to ensure strong local investment and stewardship of taxpayer resources and eligible entities may receive funds for only one project at a time. Projects will be funded at four levels:
- Level I—Planning Grants: $100,000 to $200,000 for activities like needs assessments, site surveys, preliminary designs, and cost estimates
- Level II—Small Facility Upgrades: $250,000 to $2 million for activities like renovations and lab modernization
- Level III—Mid-Scale Construction/Expansion: $2 million to $10 million for expansions, specialized research wings, and major retrofits
- Level IV—Large-Scale Research Complex: $10 million to $30 million for entire new buildings, specialized labs, and controlled environment research facilities
The deadline for applications is July 17, 2026.
USDA news release
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