Agriculture Risk Management Education Partnerships (ARME) Competitive Grants Program | USDA NIFA ARPA 008013

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA ARPA 008013

The Agriculture Risk Management Education Partnerships (ARME) Competitive Grants Program is a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) grant opportunity (Assistance Listing/CFDA 10.520) focused on helping agricultural producers make better, more informed decisions about risk. The program funds education, outreach, and training efforts that translate established risk management knowledge into practical tools and learning opportunities for farmers and ranchers. Rather than supporting direct production costs, ARME is built around teaching producers how to recognize, evaluate, and manage the many types of uncertainty that affect farm profitability and long-term viability.

ARME covers a broad set of risk management topics, especially those tied to financial and market exposure. Examples specifically called out include futures and options (including agricultural trade options), crop insurance, cash forward contracting, debt reduction strategies, production diversification, and the development of marketing plans and tactics. It also includes approaches that reduce operational and resource-related risk on the farm, along with other relevant strategies that help producers prepare for volatility in weather, prices, input costs, and changing market conditions. The underlying goal is to improve resilience by equipping producers with planning skills, decision frameworks, and actionable strategies they can apply in real business conditions.

A major priority of the program is reaching producer groups that are often underserved or facing transition points where risk is especially high. ARME places special emphasis on education and outreach designed for beginning farmers and ranchers; legal immigrant farmers and ranchers working to become established producers in the United States; socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers; farmers and ranchers preparing to retire who are using transition strategies to help new producers get started; and new or established producers who are converting production and marketing systems to pursue new markets. In practice, this means projects are expected to do more than offer general training. They should be intentionally designed to meet the needs of these audiences, using delivery methods and content that match their business realities, cultural and language needs where applicable, and the specific risks they are trying to manage (for example, financing and land access for new farmers, succession planning for retiring producers, or market development risks for operations shifting to new products or channels).

The program is intended to expand risk management education across the United States on a regional and multi-regional basis. That emphasis signals that ARME is not limited to a single community or one-off workshop approach. Projects are generally expected to leverage existing expertise and proven educational resources, coordinate across partners when appropriate, and scale learning impacts so that producers across larger geographies can benefit. The program description highlights bringing the existing knowledge base to bear, which points to practical, evidence-based instruction that is adapted for producer decision-making rather than purely academic research.

Eligibility is broad but focused on organizations rather than individuals. Applications may be submitted only by qualified public and private entities, including land-grant colleges, Cooperative Extension services, and other colleges or universities. The eligible pool also includes federal, state, and local agencies; nonprofit and for-profit private organizations or corporations; and other entities that meet the program requirements. Award recipients are allowed to subcontract with organizations that may not themselves be eligible to apply, as long as those subcontractors are necessary to carry out the project. A key compliance detail is that eligibility must be met by the application deadline; failing to meet an eligibility criterion can lead to the application being excluded or, even if reviewed, can prevent NIFA from making an award.

From the provided opportunity data, this is a mandatory grant program administered by USDA NIFA under Funding Opportunity Number USDA NIFA ARPA 008013. The opportunity was created on December 18, 2020, with an original closing date of January 21, 2021. The listed award ceiling is $2,250,000.

• The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Agriculture Risk Management Education Partnerships (ARME) Competitive Grants Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.520.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-12-18.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-01-21. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,250,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA NIFA ARPA 008013

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