MorrisonGrants

Grant proposals take a lot of time, but some areas put applicants at particular risk of creating significant rework or missing critical deadlines. 

USDA has announced the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, through the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). This is a flow-through program whereby individual states apply for federal funds, which they will use for grants within their states. Most states are waiting for USDA to release the funds before announcing their state programs, though some (e.g., California) have already announced their programs.

By now you've heard about the “The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009” (ARRA) or its more popular name, the “Stimulus Package.” If you’ll recall, the Stimulus Package was an act of legislation that was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President on February 17, 2009. The stated purposes (abbreviated) of the bill are to:

The California Department of Food and Agriculture announced today that it will hold free workshops and one free webinar from January 11-14 to help interested entities apply for the 2010 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. 

OK, you need to know more than three things to write a successful proposal.  However, getting these right can save you a lot of time and headaches.