The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) is offering the NextGen Ag Leadership Grant Program to support educational, training, and leadership development opportunities for Colorado’s emerging food and agriculture leaders. The program provides funding to organizations and educational institutions that can cultivate leadership skills, entrepreneurial abilities, and industry knowledge for individuals involved in all areas of the food and agriculture sectors, including biosciences, veterinary sciences, agronomy, nutrition, engineering, food safety, marketing, logistics, and more.

Applicants must submit proposals that align with one or more of the program’s priorities: developing individual leadership or entrepreneurial skills, enhancing organizational leadership capacity, and creating educational and/or training opportunities. Creative and innovative initiatives are encouraged. Grants are open to all organizations and educational institutions regardless of location, but all funded activities must directly benefit Coloradans and Colorado’s food and agriculture industries. Grants will not be awarded to individuals.

The 2025 grant application period opened on March 31, 2025, and closes on April 25, 2025, at 5:00 PM MDT. An informational webinar was held on April 9, 2025. Applications will be reviewed through May, with funding notifications expected during the week of June 2, 2025. Projects may start as early as July 1, 2025, and must be completed by June 30, 2026, with scholarship projects having a final deadline of September 30, 2026.

Applicants must submit project descriptions, timelines, budgets, and measurable outcomes. Applications are evaluated based on how well they meet educational, training, or leadership development goals and their expected impact, with a preference for newer or innovative initiatives. Indirect costs of up to 10% are allowed. Questions may be directed to cda_nextgen@state.co.us.