Member Advisory--December  19, 2008 (updated 1/20/09)

USDA Announces HSI Education Grants Program 

Please Note: As of January 23, 2009, the Closing Date for this RFA has been extended from January 30, 2009 to February 6, 2009 to accommodate certain technical issues.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the opening of the competition for the "Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Education Grants Program." The deadline for submission of completed applications is February 6, 2009.
 
An estimated $5.7 million is expected to be available for new awards, which normally average $250,000 for Individual Grants and up to $450,000 for Collaborative Grants. Grants are from 24 to 36 months in duration. USDA expects to make about 20 new awards in FY 2009.
 
Purpose of Program: This competitive grants program is intended to promote and strengthen the ability of Hispanic-Serving Institutions to carry out higher education programs in the food and agricultural sciences. Programs aim to attract outstanding students and produce graduates capable of enhancing the nation's food and agricultural scientific and professional work force.

Eligibility: Only public or other non-profit Hispanic-Serving Institutions are eligible to apply for this program. To qualify as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, applicants must at the time of application have an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic.
 
More details and the official announcement in the Federal Register can be found at: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/rfas/hispanic.html.