Specialty Crop Block Grant Program – Farm Bill | USDA AMS TM SCBGP G 17 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA AMS TM SCBGP G 17 003

The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (Farm Bill), administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), made about $60.6 million in grant funding available (minus AMS administrative costs) to support projects that specifically strengthen the competitiveness of specialty crops. In this program, "specialty crops" has a defined meaning and includes fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, tree nuts, and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. The central purpose of the funding is not broad agricultural support, but targeted work that helps specialty crop industries perform better in areas like market development, quality improvements, food safety, research, education, and other initiatives that measurably advance these crops and the businesses and communities connected to them.

Eligibility for applying is limited to state-level government entities responsible for agriculture. This includes departments, agencies, or commissions of agriculture in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and certain U.S. territories and affiliated jurisdictions: the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Individual farmers, nonprofits, universities, and private businesses do not apply directly to AMS under this opportunity; instead, they generally participate by applying through their own state department of agriculture once the state opens its competitive process. For that reason, organizations and individuals who want to benefit from these funds are directed to contact their state department of agriculture and watch for the state's request for proposals and application instructions.

A key feature of the program is that state departments of agriculture are expected to run outreach and a competitive grant proposal process within their state or territory. AMS encourages states to actively engage specialty crop stakeholders and to ensure that socially disadvantaged and beginning farmers are included in outreach and have a fair opportunity to participate in projects supported by the funds. State contacts and links to state-level requests for proposals were provided through the AMS Specialty Crop Block Grant Program website at www.ams.usda.gov/scbgp, which functions as the main hub for locating the right state office and current state competition details.

For this specific funding cycle, AMS listed the opportunity as a mandatory grant under CFDA 10.170, with an anticipated total of about 56 awards. The funding opportunity was published on March 2, 2017, and applications from state departments of agriculture to AMS were due by June 7, 2017. The opportunity was identified under Funding Opportunity Number USDA AMS TM SCBGP G 17 003, and it sits within the agriculture funding activity category.

• The Agricultural Marketing Service in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Specialty Crop Block Grant Program – Farm Bill" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.170.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-03-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-06-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 56 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for USDA AMS TM SCBGP G 17 003

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: