NATIONAL PROGRAM & SERVICES HIGHLIGHTS continued
NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR AG EXTENSION
New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) is a co- operative agreement with USDA NIFA in partnership with Oklahoma State University. The goal of NTAE is to incubate, accelerate, and expand promising work that will increase the impact of Cooperative Extension in the communities it serves, and provide models that can be adopted or adapted by Extension projects and programs nationwide. The completion of the fourth and final year of NTAE saw the program’s largest and most impactful year to date. During 2023, NTAE funded 36 projects in each of the various stages with 16 Incubation, 16 Acceleration and four Expansion, spanning 23 LGUs, and totaling $408,000 in project funding. The NTAE model enables the Extension Foundation to provide access, resources, and acceleration of projects through the use of Catalyst and Key Infor- mant Services. This unique approach helps projects realize impacts in a much more accelerated timeline
than traditional grant funding or programs. Addition- ally, teams are able to visually show the impact of their work through the publication of the 2023 NTAE Yearbook and individual feature stories, highlighting the work of all 36 teams that participated during this final year of funding. What makes this funding opportunity distinctive is its inclusivity, as it is not restricted to any specific program focus area or Land-grant university. All Land-grant universities are invited and encouraged to apply, regardless of the program focus. The call ex- tends to project ideas, whether novel and innovative, seeking a launchpad, or established initiatives poised to broaden their impact on priority populations and their needs. The sole requirement is that a project team aligns with at least one of the USDA Strategic Goals and one of the ECOP Strategic Directions.
NEXTGEN
USDA NIFA entered into an agreement with the Extension Foundation to provide technical assistance to Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) interested in applying for the Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Diverse Food and Agriculture Professionals (NextGen) grant opportunity. During Phase I (2022) the Extension Foundation assisted over 120 MSI’s with the preparation and submission of proposals. Thirty-three (33) proposals were funded by NIFA, equaling more than $262M. Extension Foundation was involved with the preparation of 82% of these successful proposals.
Phase II (2023 - 2027) of this opportunity involves continuing the technical assistance in support of the successful implementation of this unprecedented pro- gram. In October 2023, Extension Foundation hosted the first ever NextGen project directors meeting in Washington, D.C. This event was attended by project directors and others representing all thirty-three uni- versities, USDA, and other interested collaborators.
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2023 ANNUAL REPORT | EXTENSION FOUNDATION
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