Secondary Agriculture Education Challenge Grant Program

The Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants Program (SPECA) seeks to promote and strengthen secondary education and two-year postsecondary education in the food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences. The program aims to help ensure the existence of a qualified workforce in the United States and promote complementary linkages among secondary, two-year postsecondary, and higher education programs. The program will support projects that enhance the quality of K-14 instruction, increase the number and diversity of students pursuing degrees in the food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences, and promote leadership development and social sciences integration. Some examples of eligible projects include curriculum development, faculty preparation, and facilitating interaction with other academic institutions. • Curriculum Development, Instructional Delivery Systems, and Expanding Student Career Opportunities • Faculty Preparation and Enhancement for Teaching • Facilitating Interaction with other Academic Institutions The program will award grants to public secondary schools, public or private nonprofit junior and community colleges, institutions of higher education, or nonprofit organizations. The program has no matching requirement, and the anticipated amount available for grants is approximately $800,000 each year.