Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Education Competitive Grant Program (US)

Purpose

• NIFA intends this program to address educational needs, as determined by each institution, within a broadly defined area of Food, Agricultural, Natural Resources, and Human Sciences (FANH).

Goals

• Ensure America’s Agricultural System is Equitable, Resilient, and Prosperous
• Provide All Americans Safe, Nutritious Food

Objectives

• NIFA is soliciting applications for the ANNH Grants Program that support:
  • Activities of collaborative membership of Alaska Native-Serving or Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions to enhance educational equity for underrepresented students;
  • Strengthening institutional education capacities, including libraries, curriculum, faculty, scientific instrumentation, instruction delivery systems, and student recruitment and retention, to respond to identified state, regional, national, or international educational needs in the FANH sciences;
  • Undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups to prepare them for careers related to the food, agricultural and natural resource systems and sciences and beginning with the mentoring of students from K-12, and continuing with the provision of financial support for students through their attainment of a doctoral degree; and
  • Cooperative initiatives between at least two or more Alaska Native-Serving or Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, which may work in cooperation with one or more other entities including units of State government and private sector organizations, to maximize the development and use of resources, such as faculty, facilities, and equipment, to improve FANH education programs.

Priorities

• Accelerating Innovative Technologies and Practices
• Driving Climate-Smart Solutions
• Bolstering Nutrition Security and Health
• Cultivating Resilient Ecosystems
• Translating Research into Action

Funding Information

• Anticipated Funding: $5,491,215
• Average Individual Award Range: $150,000-$1,500,000
• Grant Duration: 36-48 Months

Project Categories

• Education Projects
• Extension Projects
• Research Projects
• Integrated Research, Extension and Education Projects

Eligible Projects

• The following describes the types of projects that are eligible for funding:
  • Education/Teaching Projects: Single-function Education/Teaching Projects conduct programs and activities that have formal classroom instruction, laboratory instruction, and practicum experience in FANH and may also support faculty development, student recruitment and services, curriculum development, instructional materials and equipment, and innovative teaching methodologies. Need Areas: ANNH projects must focus on one or more of the need areas listed below:
    • Curricula Design, Materials Development, and Library Resources: To promote the development of courses of study and degree programs, new and improved curricula, and instructional materials and technology; promote the acquisition of library resources including books and journals relating to FANH.
    • Faculty Preparation and Enhancement for Teaching: To advance faculty development in the areas of teaching competency and leadership, subject matter expertise, or student recruitment and advising skills. Examples include:
      • Obtaining experience with recent developments and new applications,
      • Expanding competence in innovative technologies and instruction delivery,
      • Developing new skills in a field of science or education including student advising skills; pursuing graduate-level study in a field related to FANH.
  • Instructional Delivery Systems: To encourage the use of alternative methods of delivering instruction to enhance the quality, effectiveness, and cost efficiency of teaching programs. Examples include:
    • Incorporating alternative instructional methodologies that respond to differences in student learning styles,
    • Inter-institutional collaborations that deliver instruction in ways that maximize program quality and reduce unnecessary duplication,
    • Consideration and implementation of innovative instructional techniques, methodologies, and delivery systems in response to advances in knowledge and technology.
  • Scientific Instrumentation for Teaching and Research: To provide students and faculty in science-oriented courses with suitable, up-to-date equipment to involve them in work central to scientific understanding and progress. Examples include:
    • Acquiring new, state-of-the-art instructional, laboratory, classroom, and research scientific equipment.
    • Upgrading existing equipment or replacing non-functional or obsolete equipment.
  • Student Experiential Learning: To further the development of student scientific and professional competencies through experiential learning programs that provide students with opportunities to solve complex problems in the context of real-world situations. Project focus may include:
    • Preparing future graduates to advance knowledge and technology, enhancing quality of life, conserving resources, and addressing community and economic development issues.
    • Enhancing student decision-making and communication skills and improving real-life technological expertise.
  • Student Recruitment, Retention, and Educational Equity: The purpose of this initiative is to enhance educational equity for underrepresented students, and to strengthen student recruitment and retention programs to promote the future strength of the Nation’s scientific, professional, and technical work force in FANH. Examples include:
    • Initiating new projects or supplementing current efforts to attract increased numbers of students from underrepresented groups to attend college.
    • Developing agricultural and science literacy programs at the high school level to attract students to college and careers in FANH.
  • Extension Projects: Single-function Extension Projects must deliver science-based knowledge and informal educational programs that lead to practical decision making. Extension Projects may address one or more of the following:
    • Support informal education to increase food and agricultural literacy in youth and adults,
    • Promote science-based agricultural literacy by increasing understanding and use of FANH data, information, and programs.
  • Applied Research Projects: Single-function Research Projects support applied research conducted by individual investigators, or co-investigators within the same discipline, or multidisciplinary teams.
  • Integrated Research, Education and Extension Projects: An Integrated Project includes at least two of the three functions of the agricultural knowledge system (research, education, and extension) within a project.

Eligible Activities

• Applications for the ANNH Grants Program must include activities that:
  • Enhance educational equity for underrepresented students;
  • Strengthen institutional educational capacities;
  • Prepare students for careers related to FANH; and
  • Maximize the development and use of resources to improve FANH education programs.

Eligibility Criteria

• An eligible institution means an individual public or private, nonprofit Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions of higher education that meet the definitions of Alaska-Serving Institutions or Native Hawaiian-Serving Institution established in Title III, Part A of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1059d).

For more information, visit Grants.gov.