Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program
Department Of Agriculture, National Institute Of Food And Agriculture
The primary goal of BFRDP is to help beginning farmers and ranchers in the United States and its territories enter and/or improve their successes in farming, ranching, and management of nonindustrial private forest lands, through support for projects that provide training, education, outreach and technical assistance to give beginning farmers and ranchers the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to make informed decisions for their operations and enhance their sustainability. The term “farmer” is
Jargon-free version
Helps new farmers and ranchers get training and support to succeed in agriculture. Provides grants for education, outreach, and technical assistance.
Quick Facts
Preview our US grants database — free Excel sample
Real Excel sample. Just your email.
You'll also get our weekly grants digest. Unsubscribe anytime.
Free Excel sample of the US Grants Database, contextually offered on the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program program page.
What Is This Program?
What Benefits Are Offered?
Provides grants to organizations for initiatives offering training, education, outreach, and technical assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers in the United States and its territories, helping them succeed in farming, ranching, and nonindustrial private forest management.
Who Is Eligible?
Region: United States, US territories, state-based, tribal-based, local-based, regionally-based
Other Criteria: Applicant must be a collaborative network or partnership of qualified public and/or private entities, Eligible entities include: State Cooperative Extension Services, Federal/State/municipal/tribal agencies, community-based organizations (CBOs), nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), junior/four-year colleges or universities (or their foundations), and private for-profit organizations, Strongly encouraged to include beginning and/or non-beginning farmers and ranchers as part of the collaborative group, Projects must provide training, education, outreach, and technical assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers, Beginning farmers/ranchers are defined as individuals who have not operated a farm/ranch, or have operated one for not more than 10 years
Chat with Grant experts
Browse our directory of vetted grant professionals who can help with your application.
Browse Partner Directory🏆 Detailed Application Guide
📋What Are the Application Steps & Timeline?
- 📝Steps to Apply
- Register for a Grants.gov account
- Subscribe to Grants.gov alerts for BFRDP
- Prepare application materials as per guidelines
- Submit application through Grants.gov
- 🌐Application Portal
- https://www.grants.gov/
- 📤Submission Method
- online
- 📅Key Dates
- Wed, 13 May 2026Posted DateTue, 16 Jun 2026Closing Date
- 🔄Intake Type
- fixed-deadline
📄What Documents Are Required?
- ✅Required Documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- SF-424A (Budget Information - Non-Construction)
- SF-424B (Assurances)
- Project Narrative
- Budget Narrative
- 📎Optional Documents
- indirect cost rate agreement
- IRB approval letter
- environmental review
- 📐Format Requirements
- PDF only, max 10MB
- 📥Templates Available
- ✉️Supporting Letters
- Letters of support/reference are recommended but not mandatory.
Still searching one grant at a time?
See this grant and hundreds more like this in the database instantly.
💰What Expenses Are Eligible?
- 🧾Eligible Expenses
- costs associated with training and education for beginning farmers and ranchers
- costs for outreach activities
- costs for developing and implementing innovative farming practices
- 🚫Ineligible Expenses
- costs not directly related to the project
- costs incurred prior to the grant award
- costs for lobbying or political activities
- 📏Expense Caps
- Indirect costs limited to de minimis 10% MTDC
- 💳Payment Model
- reimbursement
- ⏪Retroactive Expenses Eligible
- No
🤝Is Matching Funding Required?
- 🔀Matching Required
- Yes
- 📊Matching Ratio
- 25% minimum
- 🏦Eligible Matching Sources
- cash
- in-kind contributions
- 📚Stacking Rules
- Cumulative government assistance allowed
- 🛡️Proof of Matching Required
- Documentation of matching funds required
📊What Are the Reporting Requirements?
- 🗓️Reporting Frequency
- annual
- 📑Reporting Requirements
- Annual performance report
- 🔍Audit Requirements
- OMB Uniform Guidance Single Audit if the recipient expends $750,000 or more in federal awards.
- 📢Branding Requirements
- Acknowledgment of federal funding is required.
- 🗄️Record Retention Period
- 3 years post-final-report
How Do I Apply?
Know a grant consultant who should be listed here? Refer them.
More Programs Like This
Veterinary Services Grant Program
Department Of Agriculture, National Institute Of Food And Agriculture
Due Apr 16
The purpose of the Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) is to relieve veterinarian shortage situations and support v...
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)
Department Of Agriculture, National Institute Of Food And Agriculture
The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) awards research, education, and extension grants to improve rural ec...
Assistive Technology Program for Farmers with Disabilities
Department Of Agriculture, National Institute Of Food And Agriculture
Due Jun 23
AgrAbility is a consumer-driven USDA-funded program that provides direct education and assistance to farmers with disabi...
FAQFrequently Asked Questions
Visit the program page for detailed eligibility requirements.
This program offers funding up to $300,000 (minimum $2).
This program accepts applications on a rolling basis.
Choose your tier
One-time purchase, instant .xlsx download. USD.
Promo codes can be entered at checkout.
Basic
5 columns per program
Quick reference, simple lookups, sales prospecting
- Program title and CFDA number
- Issuing organization + URL
- Short program description
- 2,812 active US federal assistance listings
- .xlsx workbook (README + All Grants tabs)
Pro
24 columns per program
Grant consultants, nonprofit grant writers, proposal teams
- Everything in Basic, plus 23 more columns
- Funding range (min / max) and application deadline
- Eligibility: business sizes, industries, geographic restrictions
- Primary program contact (email, phone)
- Audience + activity tags for filtering (Nonprofits, Universities, etc.)
- Application intake type, submission method, matching required
- "For Nonprofits" tab — 1,500+ programs in one curated view
- Aggregation tabs: By Organization, By Theme, By Audience, Deadlines
Intelligence
49 columns per program
Data teams, AI builders, large grant operations, due-diligence research
- Everything in Pro, plus 25 more deep-extracted columns
- Long-form description + ideal-applicant summary + success tips
- Application steps, required documents, NOFO URLs, key dates
- Eligible / ineligible expenses, expense caps, payment model
- Matching ratios, eligible sources, stacking rules
- Reporting frequency, requirements, single-audit thresholds
- Plain-English 1-2 sentence rewrite of every program
- Contact Directory tab — outreach-ready contact list
A detailed invoice will be emailed to you after purchase. Use it for company reimbursement.