Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification | USDA NIFA SLBCD 006287

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA SLBCD 006287

The Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification (YFSEC) grant opportunity was a FY 2017 discretionary grant program offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA). Its purpose was to strengthen national efforts to provide timely, relevant, and age-appropriate farm safety education for young people who are looking for work in agricultural production or who are already employed in farm settings. In practical terms, the program aimed to reduce injuries and improve safe work practices by supporting education and certification activities focused on real-world hazards youth may encounter while working around machinery, vehicles, livestock, chemicals, and other common risks in production agriculture.

Eligibility for this opportunity was narrowly limited. Only Cooperative Extension Services (CES) based at 1862 Land-Grant Colleges and Universities and 1890 Land-Grant Colleges and Universities were allowed to apply. The eligible institutions explicitly included the University of the District of Columbia as well as several 1890-related institutions referenced in the notice, such as Tuskegee University, West Virginia State University, and Central State University. This restriction signals that USDA NIFA intended the work to be carried out through the established Extension network, which is designed to deliver practical education and training to communities and has an existing footprint for reaching agricultural youth and employers.

Administratively, the opportunity was listed under Funding Opportunity Number USDA NIFA SLBCD 006287 and fell under the Agriculture funding activity category. It was associated with CFDA number 10.500, a catalog listing used to classify federal assistance programs. The funding instrument was a grant, and the opportunity category was discretionary, meaning awards were competitively made based on the quality and alignment of submitted applications rather than allocated by formula. The posting was created on March 27, 2017, and the original application closing date was May 10, 2017. The source data provided does not specify an award ceiling or the expected number of awards, so applicants would have needed to consult the full funding announcement for budget limits, project period length, and any matching or cost-share requirements if applicable.

Overall, this grant opportunity focused on supporting Extension-led projects that could deliver credible farm safety training and certification for youth, likely through curricula, outreach programs, and coordinated education efforts that meet the needs of young workers and the agricultural operations that employ them. The emphasis on being "timely, pertinent, and appropriate" highlights an expectation that funded work would be practical, current with farm practices and safety standards, and tailored to youth audiences rather than being generic safety messaging.

• The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Youth Farm Safety Education and Certification" 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 2017-03-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-05-10. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA NIFA SLBCD 006287

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