Skip to main content

New Beginning for Tribal Students Programs (NBTS)

Agency: National Institute of Food and Agriculture

Assistance Listings
  • 10.527 -- New Beginnings for Tribal Students

Archived opportunityLast Updated: May 13, 2026

View version history on Grants.gov

Section 7120 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-334) amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3221 et seq.) to add section 1450, 7 U.S.C. § 3222e, to authorize the New Beginning for Tribal Students (NBTS) competitive grants program. General Provision 773 of the Fiscal Year 2020 Further Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 116-94) provided $5 million in discretionary funds to carry out this program. This legislation authorized the Secretary to make competitive grants to land-grant colleges and universities to provide support targeted at Tribal students. Land-grant colleges and universities includes1862, 1890 and 1994 land-grant institutions. Tribal student is defined in this legislation as a student at a land-grant college or university that is a member of an Indian tribe as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C 5304). The maximum amount allowable per state is $500,000 per year.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants

Miscellaneous

  • Other

Additional information

In accordance with 7 U.S.C. 3222(e), the Secretary is authorized to make competitive grants to land-grant colleges or universities which includes 1994 Institutions (as defined in section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (Public Law 103–382; 7 U.S.C. 301 note)) to provide support targeted at Tribal students. Land-grant colleges and universities includes1862, 1890 and 1994 land-grant institutions. You can find a link to the Land-Grant colleges and Universities here: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/land-grant-colleges-and- universities-partner-website-directory. Tribal student is defined in this legislation as a student at a land-grant college or university that is a member of an Indian tribe as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C 5304). The maximum amount allowable per state is $500,000 per year. Applicants for the NBTS must meet all the requirements discussed in this RFA. Failure to meet the eligibility criteria by the application deadline may result in exclusion from consideration or, preclude NIFA from making an award. For those new to Federal financial assistance, NIFA’s Grants Overview provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process. Duplicate or Multiple Submissions – duplicate or multiple submissions of the same proposal by the same PD to different programs is not allowed. NIFA will disqualify both applications if an applicant submits duplicate or multiple submissions to multiple programs. For those new to Federal financial assistance, NIFA’s Grants Overview provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process.

Grantor contact information

Description

NIFA Support Key Information: Business hours: Monday thru Friday, 7a.m. – 5p.m. ET, except federal holidays

Email

If you have any questions related to preparing application content.

Policy@usda.gov

Documents

File nameDescriptionLast updated
FY21-NBTribal-MOD-RFA-508.pdf
FY2021-New-Beginning-for-Tribal-Students-Programs-(NBTS)-Mod-RFA
Dec 28, 2020 11:05 PM UTC
FY21-NBTribal-RFA-508.pdf
FY2021-New-Beginning-for-Tribal-Students-Programs-(NBTS)-RFA
Dec 21, 2020 11:59 PM UTC

Link to additional information

New Beginning for Tribal Students Programs (NBTS)

Archived: April 14, 2021

Application process

This site is a work in progress. Go to www.grants.gov to apply, track application status, and subscribe to updates.

Award

$5,000,000

Program Funding

--

Expected awards

$100,000

Award Minimum

$500,000

Award Maximum

Funding opportunity number:

USDA-NIFA-TGP-007932

Cost sharing or matching requirement:

Yes

Funding instrument type:

Grant

Opportunity Category:

Discretionary

Opportunity Category Explanation:

--

Category of Funding Activity:

Agriculture

Category Explanation:

--

History

Version:

1

Posted date:

December 21, 2020

Archive date:

April 14, 2021

HHS.gov

An official website of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Looking for U.S. government information and services? Visit USA.gov