Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Childhood Obesity Prevention Challenge Area | USDA NIFA AFRI 006346

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA NIFA AFRI 006346

The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Childhood Obesity Prevention Challenge Area (often shortened to AFRI COP) is a discretionary grant opportunity run by the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Its long-term purpose is straightforward: support research and related work that can help reduce rates of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. The target population is broadly defined as ages 2 through 19, though projects can focus on a narrower slice of that range (for example, early childhood, elementary-age children, or teenagers), as long as the focus remains on preventing obesity in youth.

For the FY 2017 competition tied to this notice, the solicitation emphasizes a specific program area priority: Integrated Approaches to Prevent Childhood Obesity. That wording signals an interest in projects that do more than study a single factor in isolation. In practice, "integrated approaches" typically means combining multiple components, disciplines, or strategies that together can influence obesity risk, such as food environments, dietary behaviors, physical activity, family and community influences, education, and other upstream determinants. It also often implies coordinating efforts across settings where children spend time (home, school, childcare, afterschool programs, community organizations, healthcare interfaces), and bridging research with real-world implementation so interventions can be tested, refined, and made useful outside a lab context.

The award mechanism is a grant under AFRI, categorized under agriculture, food and nutrition, and health, and it is associated with CFDA number 10.310. The opportunity is listed as "discretionary," meaning awards are competitively reviewed and funded at the agency's discretion based on merit, fit to the priority area, and available appropriations. The funding opportunity number is USDA NIFA AFRI 006346, and the posted closing date for applications for this cycle was June 28, 2017 (with the notice created April 5, 2017). While the notice excerpt does not provide an award ceiling or the anticipated number of awards, applicants would normally find those details in the full Request for Applications (RFA) referenced in the description.

Eligibility is not presented as a single blanket rule in the excerpt because it depends on project type. The notice makes clear that only eligible entities may apply, and that eligibility is linked to the type of project proposed, with the full set of project types and their requirements described in the RFA starting in Part II, C. In other words, whether an organization can submit depends on how the project is structured (for example, certain AFRI tracks can have different applicant eligibility rules and required project components). The "EligibleApplicants" field is shown as "Others" in the listing, which is a broad grants.gov category; the definitive eligibility criteria would still come from the RFA itself.

Overall, this funding opportunity is aimed at generating and applying evidence-based, multi-component prevention solutions for childhood obesity. Competitive applications under this priority would be expected to align closely with the prevention focus (not treatment alone), clearly define the youth age group being served, and present an integrated plan that brings together relevant expertise and partners to address obesity risk in a comprehensive, practical way, consistent with the integrated approaches priority described in the RFA.

• The National Institute of Food and Agriculture in the agriculture, food and nutrition, health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Agriculture and Food Research Initiative - Childhood Obesity Prevention Challenge Area" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.310.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-04-05.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-06-28. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA NIFA AFRI 006346

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