USDA Office of Advocacy and Outreach — Grants for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers

The USDA Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OAO) administers competitive grant programs specifically designed to connect socially disadvantaged farmers, ranchers, and non-industrial forest landowners with technical assistance, outreach, and USDA program access. The flagship program — the Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (OASDFR) Program — was established under 7 U.S.C. § 2279 (section 2501 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990) and awards competitive grants to nonprofits, universities, cooperatives, and other organizations that provide direct outreach and technical assistance to underserved agricultural producers. A separate authority, 7 U.S.C. § 6934, establishes the Office itself and its broader mandate to improve USDA service delivery to small and underserved producers. OAO's grants address persistent disparities in USDA program participation: socially disadvantaged farmers — defined as those who belong to groups that have been subject to racial or ethnic prejudice — historically underutilize farm loan programs, crop insurance, conservation payments, and other USDA benefits, often due to lack of outreach, documentation barriers, or distrust rooted in documented discrimination in federal farm programs. The grant mechanism funds intermediary organizations capable of bridging that gap.

Current Rule (2026)

What This Rule Does

7 CFR Part 2500 sets the administrative framework for OAO's competitive grant programs, governing how awards are solicited, reviewed, made, monitored, and closed out. The rules apply to programs authorized under section 14013 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act (FCEA), primarily the OASDFR Program.

The OASDFR Program (Subpart F): Grants must be used exclusively for outreach and technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and non-industrial private forest landowners — helping them own and manage their lands and participate fairly in USDA programs (§ 2500.102). Eligible activities include conducting workshops, one-on-one technical assistance visits, helping producers complete USDA program applications, providing business planning support, and building awareness of available programs. The OASDFR Program has historically funded HBCUs, tribal colleges, advocacy organizations, and community-based nonprofits with established relationships in underserved farming communities.

Award Process: OAO posts requests for proposals (RFPs) on Grants.gov; all competitive awards are open to competition unless specific statutory authority allows noncompetitive awards (§ 2500.011). RFPs specify eligibility requirements, evaluation criteria, proposal format, and submission deadlines. Late proposals are not accepted unless OAO grants an exception for documented extenuating circumstances (§ 2500.016). Proposals and reviewer identities are kept confidential throughout the review process; trade secrets and proprietary business information in proposals are protected (§ 2500.017).

Post-Award Administration: Awardees must track and report program income earned during the project period (§ 2500.043). Final financial reports (SF-425) are due within 90 days of award end date (§ 2500.046). Subcontracting more than 50% of the award requires advance written approval from OAO's Authorized Departmental Officer (ADO) — and subcontracts to federal agencies also require prior approval (§ 2500.049). OAO may suspend, reduce, or terminate awards for noncompliance; OAO typically suspends first to give recipients time to cure before termination (§ 2500.050).

Key Provisions

• § 2500.001 — Part applies to competitive and noncompetitive grants, cooperative agreements, and other OAO financial assistance under FCEA section 14013
• § 2500.011 — Competition required for all discretionary awards; exceptions must be documented by an OAO official
• § 2500.016 — Proposal submission deadlines are firm; late proposals not considered without documented extenuating circumstances
• § 2500.043 — Program income earned during the project period must be added to the project and used for approved purposes
• § 2500.046 — Final SF-425 Federal Financial Report due within 90 days of award end; matching funds must be documented in annual financial reports
• § 2500.048 — Cost disallowances: recipient has 60 days to respond to written notice of proposed disallowance
• § 2500.049 — Subcontracting > 50% requires written ADO approval; federal agency subcontracts always require approval
• § 2500.052 — Appeals available for post-award terminations, partial terminations, and void award determinations
• § 2500.053 — Unspent appropriations must be drawn or disbursed before the 5th fiscal year after the obligation period or returned to Treasury
• § 2500.101 — OASDFR Program rules: grants must go to organizations providing outreach/technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers
• § 2500.102 — Eligible uses: helping producers own and operate farms and participate in USDA programs; funds may not be used for general organizational operations

How It Affects You

If you're a nonprofit, university, cooperative, or tribal organization that works with underserved farmers: The OASDFR Program is one of the few federal competitive grant programs explicitly designed to fund intermediary organizations — not individual farmers — to conduct agricultural outreach and technical assistance. Typical award sizes range from $50,000 to $500,000 for one- to three-year projects, though the range varies by Farm Bill funding cycle. The 50% subcontracting cap in 7 CFR § 2500.22 means your organization must directly perform at least half of the funded work — you cannot primarily serve as a pass-through to partner organizations. Eligible activities include: developing and delivering educational programs on USDA program eligibility, providing one-on-one assistance with loan applications and conservation program enrollment, training community navigators, and building relationships between underserved producers and FSA/NRCS staff. Watch Grants.gov (search "OASDFR" or "2501 Program") for active Requests for Applications; OAO typically announces grant cycles annually. Your organization will need a current registration in SAM.gov and a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) before you can apply — allow 2-3 weeks for SAM registration if you're not already registered.

If you're a socially disadvantaged, beginning, or veteran farmer or rancher looking for help: OAO grants don't flow directly to individual producers — they fund organizations that provide outreach and technical assistance to you. If you're struggling to understand FSA farm loans, NRCS conservation program eligibility, disaster assistance, or USDA's complex eligibility rules, an OAO-funded organization in your state can provide free one-on-one guidance. To find one: contact your local FSA county office (find it at farmers.gov/contact/fsa) and ask about technical assistance providers and 2501 Program partners in your area. The USDA Farm Service Agency at fsa.usda.gov also maintains a resource page for historically underserved producers. Farmers specifically dealing with civil rights complaints or past discrimination against USDA can also use askusda.gov to file complaints or access the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program established under the Inflation Reduction Act (though 2025 implementation has been uncertain — check current status at usda.gov/da/civil-rights).

If you're an agricultural extension service, land-grant university, or state agriculture department: OASDFR grants complement your outreach mission and may fund work that state or university budgets don't cover — particularly for reaching Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian American farmers who have historically had lower rates of USDA program participation. Extension services are explicitly listed as eligible recipients under 7 U.S.C. § 2279. Grant applications that demonstrate existing relationships with underserved communities, bilingual or culturally competent staff, and a track record of successful USDA program enrollment outcomes are typically more competitive. Coordinate with your USDA state rural development office and state FSA office to identify the gaps in current outreach capacity that your application can credibly fill.

If you track USDA equity and civil rights policy: The OASDFR Program and OAO more broadly are central to USDA's ongoing effort to address documented discrimination and exclusion of minority farmers from federal programs — a legacy going back to decades of FSA county committee decisions that excluded Black farmers from loan access and conservation payments. The Pigford v. Glickman consent decree (1999) and its successor settlements addressed past discrimination but left structural outreach gaps that OAO was created to fill. The Trump administration's 2025 DOGE reviews of equity-focused USDA programs raised questions about OASDFR's funding continuity; the 2501 Program's Farm Bill reauthorization and appropriations status is worth tracking through NSAC (National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition) at sustainableagriculture.net and the Federation of Southern Cooperatives at federation.coop, which closely monitors USDA outreach funding for underserved farmers.

Statutory Authority

This rule implements:

• 7 U.S.C. § 2279 — Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers (authorizes OASDFR competitive grants; defines eligible activities and recipients; establishes the policy goal of fair participation in USDA programs)
• 7 U.S.C. § 6934 — Office of Advocacy and Outreach (establishes the OAO within USDA; directs OAO to improve service delivery to small and underserved producers and to coordinate outreach across USDA agencies)

Recent Rulemakings

• 85 FR 31938 (May 2020): Updated Part 2500 to reflect organizational restructuring of OAO and changes to OASDFR Program administration under the 2018 Farm Bill amendments
• 76 FR 66170 (2011): Original rule establishing the OAO grant administration framework under the 2008 Farm Bill

Recent Developments

• Farm Bill 2025 and OAO funding: The Office of Advocacy and Outreach's grant programs are authorized through the Farm Bill, and reauthorization determines funding levels for the next cycle. The 2018 Farm Bill maintained OASDFR Program funding; Farm Bill 2025 negotiations include discussions of the program's scale and targeting criteria. Small, socially disadvantaged, beginning, veteran, and limited-resource farmers have increasingly been the focus of Farm Bill equity provisions, consistent with OAO's core mission.
• USDA equity and civil rights context: USDA has a documented history of racial discrimination in farm program delivery, particularly against Black farmers — the subject of the Pigford consent decree (1999 and 2010 settlements) and multiple subsequent studies. OAO's outreach programs represent part of USDA's ongoing effort to rebuild trust and program access with socially disadvantaged farmers. The Biden administration's Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP), authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act, was a separate (and litigated) effort to address USDA discrimination claims directly.
• Trump administration DEI restrictions and OAO (2025): The Trump administration's executive orders restricting federal DEI programs in January 2025 raised questions about USDA's outreach programs specifically targeting socially disadvantaged farmers. Programs that use race as an explicit criterion for eligibility faced legal challenges. USDA reviewed its OAO grant programs for compliance with the executive orders; program continuation under revised criteria was evaluated during 2025.
• Beginning farmer technical assistance demand: USDA data consistently shows that the average age of U.S. farmers is increasing and that the number of beginning farmers is declining. OAO's beginning farmer outreach programs — including financial literacy training, farm business planning assistance, and USDA program navigation — address a documented need. The entry barriers to farming (land costs, capital requirements, regulatory complexity) have intensified interest in the technical assistance that OAO-funded organizations provide.

Pending Action

USDA is conducting a legal review of OAO programs that explicitly target socially disadvantaged farmers by race following the Trump administration's January 2025 DEI executive orders. Watch for revised program eligibility criteria or program restructuring that replaces racial targeting with race-neutral proxy criteria (beginning farmers, limited resource farmers, geographic rural poverty criteria). Farm Bill 2025 will likely include revised OAO authorization language; the scope and funding level of outreach programs for underserved farmers depends on the Farm Bill's equity provisions outcome. Organizations that receive OAO grants should monitor USDA communications on program compliance requirements and be prepared for potential grant modifications if program criteria are revised to comply with executive order directives.