⏰ 1 day to deadline. Today is the final day of the application window — completed electronic applications are due via Grants.gov by August 17, 2026 · 11:59 PM ET. No amendment, extension, or modification has been posted to the Grants.gov opportunity or the USDA RD FIELDS program page as of this check; the close date is confirmed unchanged.
📋 No award news yet. Awards remain anticipated for December 2026 – January 2027 per the NOFO. No award announcements, review-status updates, or Federal Register notices have surfaced. This monitor continues on its weekly cadence through the review period and award announcements per standing doctrine.
⏳ 7 days to deadline. The application window remains open with no amendment posted — the close is confirmed at August 17, 2026 · 11:59 PM ET via Grants.gov (USDA RD program page re-verified August 10, 2026; page last modified August 3, 2026). Electronic waiver requests to FIELDS@usda.gov must arrive at least 48 hours before close — i.e., by August 15, 2026 — and SAM registration must be active at submission.
📄 FIELDS FAQ published. USDA RD has posted a Frequently Asked Questions document dated July 31, 2026 on the program page's To Apply section — the last substantive guidance drop before close, alongside the NOFO, Feasibility Study Guide, and Application Checklist. A recording of the July 16, 2026 applicant webinar is also linked under Events.
📋 Award ceiling clarified: $150 million. The official USDA RD FIELDS program page (rd.usda.gov) and the Secretary Rollins launch press release (July 1, 2026) both state individual awards will range from $15 million to $150 million. The Grants.gov synopsis field shows $100M, but the NOFO text — as reflected on the authoritative rd.usda.gov page — governs. The current facts entry has been updated accordingly.
🗓️ All other terms confirmed unchanged. The application deadline remains August 17, 2026 · 11:59 PM ET via Grants.gov (original and current closing dates identical — no amendment posted). Total funding ($500M), 50% match requirement, eligibility, and contacts are all unchanged.
🗓️ 43 days to deadline. The application window is open with the clock running to the August 17 close. Prosody's internal go/no-go target for any supported application is ~July 17 — feasibility-study procurement is the critical path, followed by the financial package and match certification.
📋 Portfolio read complete. Master Target Tracker screened across five audiences: Track-1 independent manufacturers, IRPT host/anchor ports, CFORT co-ops, industry associations, and government stakeholders. The two screens below eliminate most quick-fit ideas.
📢 FIELDS NOFO published. USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service, on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation, posted opportunity RD-RBS-26-01-FIELDS under Assistance Listing 10.383 (same ALN as the predecessor FPEP). $500M total; ~10 awards; $15M–$100M each at 50% match.
🏛️ Authority & contacts. Authorized under the CCC Charter Act §5(b). Team Lead Lisa Noty; electronic waiver requests to FIELDS@usda.gov at least 48 hours before close. Awards anticipated December 2026 – January 2027.
Together, these eliminate most quick-fit ideas. A viable candidate needs a genuine manufacturing core at scale, committed capital, and a signable feasibility study inside the window.
1 Process-manufacturing test
Projects must materially increase domestic fertilizer process manufacturing — physical/chemical operations that make or convert fertilizer: ammonia from natural gas, ammonia→urea/UAN, granulation, drying, micronutrient coating, sulfur processing.
2 Top-4 market-share gate
Any applicant or affiliate at or above the fourth-largest market share in nitrogen, sulfur, phosphate, or potash is ineligible. The dominant majors (CF, Nutrien, Mosaic, Koch, Yara) are effectively excluded.
| Program | Fertilizer Investment & Expansion for Long-term Domestic Supply (FIELDS) |
| Opportunity No. | RD-RBS-26-01-FIELDS · Assistance Listing 10.383 (same ALN as FPEP) |
| Agency | Commodity Credit Corporation, implemented by USDA Rural Development, Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS) |
| Authority | CCC Charter Act §5(b), 15 U.S.C. §714c(b) |
| Total funding | $500 million (RBCS may increase at its discretion) |
| Award range | $15M minimum — $150M maximum · ~10 anticipated awards |
| Match | 50% of total eligible project costs, non-federal; secured commitments required before award agreement execution |
| Posted | July 1, 2026 |
| Deadline | August 17, 2026, 11:59 PM ET via Grants.gov (electronic waiver requests to FIELDS@usda.gov ≥48 hrs before close) |
| Award dates | Anticipated December 2026 – January 2027 |
| Performance | 1–5 years; 60-month maximum period of performance; up to 24-month no-cost extension case-by-case |
| Instrument | Grant via Financial Assistance Agreement (Form RD 4280-2) |
| Contacts | Team Lead Lisa Noty · FIELDS@usda.gov |
Seven criteria totaling 100 points, plus up to 10 discretionary Administrator points. Implementation readiness is the explicit cross-cutting priority; failure to address any criterion renders an application ineligible, not merely low-scoring.
| Criterion | Points | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Financial Viability & Technical Merit | 0–25 | |
| 2(ii) · Market Demand & Opportunities | 0–18 | |
| 2(i) · Market Impact | 0–12 | |
| 3(i) · Work Plan | 0–7 | |
| 3(ii) · Budget | 0–6 | |
| 3(iii) · Key Personnel & Service Providers | 0–6 | |
| 4 · Major Risks & Mitigation | 0–6 | |
| 5 · Nitrogen- or Sulfur-Related Products (bonus) | +5 | |
| 6 · Executed Off-Take Agreements (bonus) | +5 | |
| 7 · Administrator Points (discretionary) | 0–10 |