Bismarck, N.D. – The North Dakota Department of Commerce has opened the 2025 Autonomous Agriculture Grant Program, a competitive funding opportunity of up to $7.5 million intended to support projects that advance autonomous agriculture across the state.
The program’s objective is to accelerate development and deployment of next-generation agricultural technologies, supporting infrastructure, and workforce solutions. Awards may be issued as a single grant or distributed among multiple recipients, depending on the quality and scope of proposals.
Key details:
Total funding available: $7.5 million
Application opened: Sept. 2, 2025, at 1 p.m. CDT
Proposal deadline: Oct. 2, 2025, by 5 p.m. CDT
Funding must be used by: June 30, 2027
Eligible projects may include the development of autonomous agriculture proving grounds; commercialization of ag-tech innovations; workforce training programs; research and deployment of unmanned systems and precision equipment; and land acquisition, which has been added as an eligible use of funds to support autonomous agriculture initiatives.
Applicants must be nonprofits, public-private partnerships, or industry consortia with a permanent presence in North Dakota. Proposals will be evaluated for their potential to accelerate automation in agriculture, strengthen the workforce, drive commercialization, and produce measurable economic impact in rural communities.
A selection committee composed of state leaders and industry representatives will review submissions using a 100-point scoring system. Proposals must be submitted via email to Shayden Akason at sakason@nd.gov.
A new Q&A section is available to assist applicants with common questions and provide guidance throughout the application process.
For full application guidelines and to access the Q&A, visit https://ndgov.link/AutonomousGrant.
View this release online: https://www.commerce.nd.gov/news/
