Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification (YFSEC) | USDA NIFA SLBCD 008054

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA SLBCD 008054

The Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification (YFSEC) grant is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). For Fiscal Year 2021, the program is focused on supporting national efforts that provide farm safety education to young people who are looking for jobs in agricultural production or who are already working in agriculture. The intent is to ensure the training youth receive is timely, relevant, and appropriate to the real hazards and responsibilities involved in agricultural work, with an emphasis on education that can translate into safer practices and, where applicable, recognized certification.

In terms of who can apply, eligibility is narrow and clearly defined. Applications may only be submitted by Cooperative Extension Services (CES) housed at 1862 Land-Grant Colleges and Universities and 1890 Land-Grant Colleges and Universities. The opportunity explicitly includes certain 1890-related institutions and partners, naming the University of the District of Columbia, Tuskegee University, West Virginia State University, and Central State University. Applicants are expected to meet all requirements laid out in the Request for Applications (RFA), and missing eligibility criteria by the deadline can lead to the application being removed from consideration or prevent NIFA from issuing an award.

Even though only specific CES entities at eligible land-grant institutions can submit applications, the program allows flexibility in how projects are carried out. Award recipients may subcontract with organizations that are not eligible to apply directly, as long as those partners are necessary to execute the project. Examples mentioned include 1994 Land-Grant Colleges, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and eXtension. The eligible 1862 and 1890 institutions can also collaborate on joint proposals with each other and may include additional land-grant institutions (such as 1994 schools) as well as non-land-grant institutions as partners. This structure is designed to keep the formal applicant pool limited to the Extension system while still encouraging broader collaboration to reach youth effectively and deliver strong, practical safety programming.

Basic administrative details for the opportunity include the funding opportunity number USDA NIFA SLBCD 008054 and the CFDA number 10.500, with the funding activity category listed under agriculture. The instrument type is a grant, and the award ceiling is $100,000. The original application closing date for this FY 2021 competition was February 12, 2021, and the opportunity record shows a creation date of December 17, 2020. The listing also notes a rule about duplicate or multiple submissions: if an applicant submits more than one version, only the most current submission will be accepted, which signals the importance of version control and ensuring the final package is the one intended for review.

Finally, the announcement points applicants, especially those newer to federal funding, to NIFA's Grants Overview as a recommended resource for understanding the federal awards process. Overall, YFSEC is a targeted NIFA program aimed at improving youth agricultural workplace safety through Extension-led education and certification efforts, using a model that centers eligible land-grant Extension applicants while allowing strategic partnerships and subcontracting to strengthen delivery and reach.

• The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification (YFSEC)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.500.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-12-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-02-12. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $100,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA NIFA SLBCD 008054

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: