$5M USDA grant supports tribal Ag education

Funding boost for tribal college agriculture students

At the 2024 White House Tribal Youth Forum, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced a transformative $5 million grant initiative to promote higher education and professional training among Tribal students.

The New Beginning for Tribal Students (NBTS) Program aims to enhance access to land-grant colleges for Tribal communities, focusing on agriculture, food, and natural resource sciences.

The USDA 1994 Tribal Scholars Program further enriches this initiative by providing scholarships that cover full tuition, fees, and books, coupled with paid internships, leading to potential full-time positions at the USDA.

This program supports students from associate degrees at Tribal colleges to bachelor’s degrees at land-grant universities.

Additionally, the Terra Preta do Indio Tribal Fellowship Program has been launched to bolster research and development at Tribal colleges.

This fellowship facilitates direct engagement with USDA research facilities and offers comprehensive training sessions in Washington, D.C., aimed at expanding collaboration and enhancing educational outcomes.

These educational initiatives are a part of the USDA’s broader strategy to remove barriers and foster an inclusive workforce reflective of America’s diversity. 

By investing in the education and training of Tribal students, the USDA aims to cultivate a new generation of agricultural professionals equipped to handle future challenges in food sovereignty and environmental stewardship.

The programs are set to begin in Fall 2025, with application deadlines approaching at the end of 2024 and early 2025, promising significant opportunities for educational advancement and professional growth within the Tribal communities.