A variety of opportunities exists to support PhD programs through funding provided by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). NIFA competitive grant programs generally have broad eligibility and, thus, are readily available to support PhD programs across a wide range of institutions and programs, although eligibility is restricted to entities within the US A major funding opportunity for PhD students is the Predoctoral Fellowship Program of the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences Education and Literacy Initiative. This program provides support for up to 2 yr and $79,000 in total costs/grant for stipends, tuition, fees, fringe benefits, supplies, and travel. Individual students apply for the fellowships, thereby gaining valuable experience in preparing and submitting a grant proposal. Funding for PhD programs, including allowances for international training, is also available through NIFA’s Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship Grants Program. In that program, mentors apply for funding to support one or more fellowships totaling $79,500/fellow over 3 yr, with grant awards limited to 3 yr and $262,500 in total costs. Support for PhD students can also be included in applications to most other NIFA competitive grant programs. Those with greatest relevance to animal agriculture include, but are not limited to, the AFRI Foundational Program, AFRI Food Security Challenge Area, Organic Research and Extension Initiative, Organic Transitions Program, Biotechnology Risk Assessment Grants Program, and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program. Information about these and other NIFA funding opportunities is available at http://www.nifa.usda.gov/fo/funding.cfm. Funding support for PhD students may also be available through capacity-funded research and extension programs provided by NIFA to institutions (e.g., Hatch, Evans-Allen, Smith-Lever); however, these funds are subject to legislative and institutional restrictions, and thus, may not be readily available to support PhD programs at all institutions.