Information for Cornell Researchers

Cornell AES currently manages $6 million in Federal Capacity Funds (FCF), allocated annually by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

The funds allocated by NIFA fall into three different programs:

  • Hatch: supports research basic to problems of agriculture in its broadest aspects.
  • Multistate Research Program: supports research on high-priority topics among various State Agricultural Experiment Stations (SAES) in partnership with NIFA and other institutions, to tackle projects beyond the scope of a single SAES. 
  • McIntire-Stennis: supports research related to commercial and urban forestry, and land and water management.

FCF application details, at a glance

  • Annual request for pre-proposals: mid-October
  • Pre-proposal due date: mid-December
  • Full proposal due date (for accepted pre-proposals only): late June
  • Earliest possible project start date: October 1
  • Max project duration: 3 years
  • Maximum funding cap for each funding source (Hatch, Multistate, McIntire-Stennis, or extension support from Smith-Lever): $30,000

Applying for Federal Capacity Funds

PI eligible faculty from the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, and Human Ecology will be automatically notified by email at the beginning of the next funding cycle. The annual call for pre-proposals goes out in mid-October. The competitive review process includes reviews from stakeholders, faculty, and directors. If a pre-proposal is approved, researchers must submit a full proposal. Project approval will depend on a final review by NIFA.

Video recording of info session for researchers (2020)

Resources for Cornell PIs and Administrative Managers

General Information

NIFA Reporting System

Multistate Research Projects (MRP)

Contact Info for Researchers

If you can't find the information in the resources and need more help, please contact:
Crystal Clark
cdo6 [at] cornell.edu (cdo6[at]cornell[dot]edu)
(607) 255-2224