Veterinary Services Grant Program

Veterinarians play significant roles in assuring food and fiber animal health, food safety and security, public health, and producer profitability, especially in rural areas of the United States where most livestock production occurs. The VSGP, Assistance Listing 10.336, and its companion Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP), authorized by the National Veterinary Medical Services Act (NVMSA), were established to address concerns that long-term uneven distributions in the veterinary workforce have left some rural communities with insufficient access to food/large animal veterinary services. The objectives of the VSGP are to develop, implement, and sustain food animal veterinary services and relieve veterinarian shortage situations in the United States, which includes Insular Areas (see Appendix III of this NOFO for a definition of “Insular Area”), and to provide education, extension, and training programs for the food animal veterinary workforce.

Veterinarians play significant roles in assuring food and fiber animal health, food safety and security, public health, and producer profitability, especially in rural areas of the United States where most livestock production occurs. The VSGP, Assistance Listing 10.336, and its companion Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP), authorized by the National Veterinary Medical Services Act (NVMSA), were established to address concerns that long-term uneven distributions in the veterinary workforce have left some rural communities with insufficient access to food/large animal veterinary services. The objectives of the VSGP are to develop, implement, and sustain food animal veterinary services and relieve veterinarian shortage situations in the United States, which includes Insular Areas (see Appendix III of this NOFO for a definition of “Insular Area”), and to provide education, extension, and training programs for the food animal veterinary workforce.

Eligibility RequirementsApplicants for the VSGP must meet all the requirements cited in this NOFO. Failure to meet the eligibility criteria by the application deadline may result in exclusion from consideration or preclude NIFA from making an award. For those new to Federal financial assistance, NIFA’s About Grants provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process.Applications may only be submitted by the entities listed below if they plan to carry out programs or activities that will: 1) substantially relieve veterinary shortage situations; 2) support or facilitate private veterinary practices engaged in the care of food animals; and 3) address food safety and agricultural animal health concerns. Eligible Applicants for EET1. State, regional, or national organizations supporting food animal veterinary programs.2. Allied or professional food animal veterinary organizations recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association. 3. Colleges or schools of veterinary medicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association. 4. University research foundations or veterinary medical foundations. 5. Departments of veterinary science or departments of comparative medicine accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. 6. State agricultural experiment stations or Research Farms (1890 institutions). 7. State, local, or tribal government agencies.Eligible Applicants for RPE1. For-profit or nonprofit entities located in the United States or an Insular Area, such as veterinary clinics or hospitals, that provide mixed, food or large animal veterinary services in a rural area, as defined in section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)) within a current VMLRP shortage area. FY2026 veterinary shortage situation areas are found here. a. Shortage situations must qualify as rural (as defined in Section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)). b. VMLRP Type II shortage situations are rural and therefore qualify. c. For VMLRP Type I shortage situations, use the USDA Rural Development’s Business Program’s Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) map to assess “rural” eligibility. Instructions for accessing the map can be found here. (Select Rural Business at top, then the link for RCDI, accept the disclaimer and zoom into the area of interest.) 2. Clinics or hospitals that employ a current VMLRP awardee with a current service agreement at the time of the application with reference to the single shortage area to which they are obligated to serve. If awarded, the clinic will be obligated to retain that VMLRP awardee for the 36-month duration of the VSGP-RPE award or forfeit the awarded funds (with proration for time served) upon their departure.3. RPE awards are made to clinics, not individuals. Therefore, only a clinic (even if a solo practitioner), may apply for and be awarded an RPE grant.Duplicate or Multiple Submissions For RPE, duplicate or multiple submissions are not allowed. NIFA will disqualify both applications if an RPE applicant submits duplicate or multiple submissions. For EET, multiple submissions are allowed by different departments of eligible institutions. However, only one award will be granted per institution per year. For those new to Federal financial assistance, NIFA’s About Grants provides highly recommended information about grants and other resources to help understand the Federal awards process. Multiple AwardsFor those that have received a RPE award, a clinic can apply for a new VSGP-RPE award following the final end date of the previous award (including any no cost extensions). For EET, an institution may have multiple awards that were granted from different years from different departments and different Project Directors.USDA will not accept competitive applications for grants and cooperative a