USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture; Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program

Deadline: Monday, April 1, 2024

Award Range: $20,000 - $250,000

About: The purpose of the Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP), is to provide scholarships to support recruiting, engaging, retaining, mentoring, and training committed multicultural scholars, resulting in baccalaureate degrees within the food and agricultural science disciplines. The goals and objectives of the scholarships are to encourage outstanding students from groups that are historically underrepresented and underserved to pursue and complete baccalaureate degrees in food and agricultural sciences, leading to a diverse and highly skilled workforce. This may include the teaching and preservation of traditional ecological knowledge.

NIFA is soliciting applications for student education that will:

1. Prepare graduates to meet the demand for highly qualified personnel entering the workforce related to the food and agricultural sciences;

2. Support more undergraduates in transitioning to graduate education in USDA mission sciences;

3. Contribute to the reduction of the disparity among underrepresented and underserved populations entering graduate schools to better reflect the demographics of the U.S. and enable higher education to remain globally competitive;

4. Promote student success within food and agricultural disciplines at the undergraduate/D.V.M. level; and

5. Focus on social support structure, and professional mentoring to ensure entry into food and agricultural science areas and completion of graduate education or high level of competitiveness for the workforce.

In addition to coursework and related experiences that prepare students for graduation, grantee institutions will be expected to identify and develop opportunities through partnerships with food and agricultural research programs at other academic institutions, and cooperate with public and private entities, to ensure MSP scholars are exposed to a wide spectrum of careers in the food and agricultural sciences.

Apply: For a detailed program description and the solicitation, please see USDA NIFA’s Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program page. 

NOTE: If you are interested in applying or have any questions, please contact our Pre-Award Specialists Pia Gabriel at pg12@humboldt.edu, Kaz Wegmuller at kaz.wegmuller@humboldt.edu, or Jocelyne Takatsuno at jt366@humboldt.edu ASAP.