SECONDARY EDUCATION, TWO-YEAR POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, and
AGRICULTURE IN THE K-12 CLASSROOM CHALLENGE GRANTS
PROGRAM SUMMARY -- FY 2011
Division of Community and Education
Institute of Youth, Family and Community
National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Launched in 1999, (and originally titled ‘Secondary and Two-Year Postsecondary Agriculture
Education Challenge Grants’) this program is administered by the Division of Community and
Education within the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA, by authority
contained in Section 7109 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-246),
that amended Section 1417(j) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching
Policy Act of 19777 (U.S.C. 3152(j)). This program awards grants to eligible public secondary
schools, and to two-year postsecondary institutions, to strengthen education in the broad areas of
agriscience and agribusiness. Beginning in FY 2002, eligibility was extended to include
applications from two-year postsecondary institutions offering the associate degree. Then in FY
2009, eligibility was further extended to include applications focused on Agriculture in the K-12
Classroom, and eligible applicants were also expanded to include colleges and universities and
non-profit organizations. With this change, the grant program name was changed to: ‘Secondary
Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom
Challenge Grants’ (SPECA)
The purpose of the SPECA Grants Program is to promote and strengthen teaching programs in
agriscience and agribusiness, at secondary and 2-year postsecondary institutions, by enhancing
curricula, increasing faculty teaching competencies, promoting higher education to prepare
students for scientific and professional careers, incorporating agriscience or agribusiness subject
matter into other instructional programs, facilitating joint initiatives among other educational
institutions, and to respond to identified State, regional, national or international educational
needs.
Applications may be submitted by any public secondary school, by any public or private
nonprofit community or junior college, by eligible colleges and universities, or by a non-profit
organization. The above applicants must demonstrate a commitment to teaching agriscience and
agribusiness.
For the FY 2011 award cycle, a total of $905,573 was available for project grant awards after
subtracting administrative costs. This amount was further divided into two groups: applications
from secondary schools (including Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom category) and applications
from two-year, postsecondary institutions.
From this point forward in this document, summary information is grouped and reported
by either the Secondary School Group or by the Two-Year, Postsecondary Institution
Group.
Secondary Schools (including Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom) – Group Summary
FY 2011
A total of 55 institutions submitted applications requesting $5,885,765. A total of $824,066 was
available for awards. In March 2011, a sixteen-member peer review panel evaluated these
applications. The peer panel included faculty members from secondary schools, two-year
postsecondary, land grant and non-land grant colleges and universities, and practitioners from the
food and agricultural sciences community. Funds were available to support a total of 12 awards.
Four projects were formal Joint Project Proposals requiring partnerships between two or more
institutions.
The following tables summarize just this year’s Secondary School Group of the Secondary and
Two-Year Postsecondary Agriculture Education Challenge Grants program:
Table 1A. FUNDS REQUESTED/AWARDED BY EMPHASIS AREAS
FY 2011 Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and
Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants
Secondary Schools – Group Summary
ACADEMIC
DISCIPLINE
AREAS
NUMBER OF
APPLICATIONS
Requested
Awarded
AMOUNT OF FUNDS
Requested
Awarded*
General
24
4
$ 2,345,172
$341,266
Agriscience
6
1
$ 522,101
$ 42,565
Agribusiness
Animal Sciences
7
1
1
1
$ 740,721
$ 47,816
$ 45,324
$ 22,758
Plant Sciences
2
0
$ 199,676
0
0
7
2
$ 859,020
$166,563
4
3
1
2
$ 550,621
$ 224,992
$ 395,646
$ 46,080
$159,510
2
0
56
12
$5,885,765
$824,066
Conservation/Renewable
Resources
Food
Science/Technology &
Manufacturing
Ag Social Science inc.
Ag Education
Aquaculture
Related Biological
Sciences
TOTALS
__________________
* Not all programs request the maximum funds allowed per institution under this grant ($35,000
- Regular Proposals, $150,000 - Joint Project Proposals, or beginning with the FY 2011
competition, Large-Scale Comprehensive Initiative Proposals for $300,000). These amounts
represent the total Federal dollars awarded to each lead institution, including the funds that will
be subcontracted to collaborating institutions for joint projects. All funded projects in this grants
program require a 25% non-Federal match. Matching funds are not reflected in these Federal
award amounts.
Two-Year, Postsecondary Institutions – Group Summary – FY 2011
A total of 14 institutions submitted applications requesting $ 1,749,198. A total of $81,507 was
available for awards. In March 2011, a four-member peer review panel evaluated these
applications. The panel comprised faculty members from two-year postsecondary, land grant and
non-land grant colleges and universities, and practitioners from the food and agricultural
sciences community.
Funds were available to support a total of 3 awards. None of these projects was a formal Joint
Project Proposal requiring partnerships between two or more institutions.
The following tables summarize just this year’s Two-Year, Postsecondary Institution Group
of the Secondary and Two-Year Postsecondary Agriculture Education Challenge Grants
program:
Table 1B. FUNDS REQUESTED/AWARDED BY EMPHASIS AREAS
FY 2011 Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and
Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants
Two-Year, Postsecondary Institutions – Group Summary
TARGET
ACADEMIC
EMPHASIS AREAS
NUMBER OF
APPLICATIONS
Requested
Awarded
AMOUNT OF FUNDS
Requested
Awarded*
$ 81,507
General
10
3
$ 1,449,422
Agriscience
1
0
$
49,981
$0
Agribusiness
Animal Sciences
0
0
0
0
Plant Sciences
1
0
$
49,795
$0
1
0
$ 150,000
$0
0
0
1
0
0
0
$
$0
0
0
14
3
Conservation/Renewable
Resources
Food
Science/Technology &
Manufacturing
Ag Social Science inc.
Ag Education
Aquaculture
Related Biological
Sciences
TOTALS
50,000
$1,749,198
$81,507
__________________
* Not all programs request the maximum funds allowed per institution under this grant ($35,000
- Regular Proposals, $150,000 - Joint Project Proposals, or beginning with the FY 2011
competition, Large-Scale Comprehensive Initiative Proposals for $300,000). These amounts
represent the total Federal dollars awarded to each lead institution, including the funds that will
be subcontracted to collaborating institutions for joint projects. All funded projects in this grants
program require a 25% non-Federal match. Matching funds are not reflected in these Federal
award amounts.
Table 3. FUNDED PROJECT INFORMATION and DESCRIPTIONS
FY 2011 Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and
Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants
Combined Secondary Schools & Two-Year, Postsecondary Institutions
Access the following link: FY 2011 SPEC Funded Abstracts* to display project information. Data is
from the NIFA Current Research Information System (CRIS) database. Projects are posted at this
location once the award is official.
*CRIS URL is = http://cris.csrees.usda.gov/cgibin/starfinder/0?path=fastlink1.txt&id=anon&pass=&search=CG=*38414*%20and%20gy=2011%20NOT%20PS=term*&format=WEBTITLESG