2010 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Open Applications
01/13/2010 — Brent Morrison

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.

California

The California Department of Food and Agriculture opened the application period for 2010 Specialty Crop Block Grants (SCBG) on January 11, 2010. This is a federal flow-through program; CDFA expects USDA to make approximately $17 million available for SCBG grant awards in California. Concept proposals are due February 1, 2010.

See below information regarding:

General information:

  • Two-step process. Applicants must first submit a concept proposal. CDFA will select applicants from among the concept proposals to submit full proposals. Specifics of the requirements for full proposals will be released later.
  • Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations, local, state and federal government entities, for-profit organizations, and universities.
  • Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).
  • Grant amounts Projects will be funded in amounts between $75,000 and $500,000.
  • Changes from 2009: The basic purpose of the program is unchanged, as is the two-step application requirement. However certain aspects have changed, including the evaluation criteria.
  • Multiple applications: Applicants can submit applications for multiple Concept Proposals so long as each submission represents a unique project. CDFA can, and does, give more than one award to a single applicant.

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Purpose:

Funds will be awarded for projects that enhance the competitiveness of California specialty crops. The SCBG program is industry focused; grant funds will not be awarded for projects that solely benefit or profit a single organization or individual. The listed funding areas and related areas of emphasis are:

Research

  • Plant Health and Pest Challenges
  • Environmental Concerns and Conservation
  • Food Safety

Marketing

  • Agriculture Education/Outreach
  • International Trade
  • Market Enhancement and Promotion

Nutrition

  • Food Security
  • Healthy Eating

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Key dates

  • February 1: Concept proposals due
  • March 25: Invitations to submit grant proposals to be issued by CDFA
  • April 26:  Grant proposals due
  • July 2010:  Grant proposals to USDA for approval
  • October/November 2010: Announce and award grant agreements

Grant funds cannot be expended before October 1, 2010 or after June 30, 2013.
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How to apply:

All applicants must register and receive a logon account to the Financial Assistance Application Submittal Tool (FAAST) in order to submit Concept and Grant Proposals. (MorrisonGrants can do this for you.) All applications must be submitted through FAAST; no paper submissions allowed.

We have found FAAST to be quirky but more reliable than electronic submission processes such as PureEdge.
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Matching funds:

Matching funds and in-kind donations are not required but are strongly encouraged. Unlike 2009, the scoring criteria for concept proposals do not show scoring points for matches; this may change for the final proposals.
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Success rates:

Based on what we heard at CDFA's SCBG workshops, they received approximately 250 concept proposals in 2009. About 20 percent of these were funded.

MorrisonGrants wrote two full 2009 California SCBG proposals, both of which were funded.
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Questions and more information:

CDFA will not advise and/or provide individuals with any information regarding specific proposals during the solicitation process; they state that this is "in order to maintain the integrity of the competitive grant process." They will accept emailed questions and plan to post answers on the following schedule:

Questions Received by / Responses Posted by:
1/19/10 – 5:00 PM PDT / 1/21/10 – 5:00 PM PDT
1/25/10 – 5:00 PM PDT / 1/26/10 – 5:00 PM PDT
1/28/10 – 5:00 PM PDT / 1/29/10 – 5:00 PM PDT

Click here to see the full to the full Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for concept proposals.
Contact MorrisonGrants.
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Grant writing:

Click here for more information on our grant writing services. Please contact us at your convenience for more information or a fee estimate.

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Other States:

MorrisonGrants works with SCBG applicants in any state. Individual states have leeway in designing their programs; however, the program's general purpose is to enhance the competitiveness of US grown specialty crops. Examples given include:

  • Increasing child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops
  • Improving efficiency and reducing costs of distribution systems
  • Assisting entities in the specialty crop distribution chain in developing "Good Agricultural Practices," "Good Handling Practices," "Good Manufacturing Practices," and cost-share arrangements
  • Specialty crop research, including organic research to focus on conservation and environmental outcomes
  • Food safety
  • Developing new and improved seed varieties and specialty crops
  • Pest and disease control
  • Sustainability

Projects should potentially impact and produce measurable outcomes for the specialty crop industry and/or the public rather than a single organization or individual. Eligible applicants will generally include state, local, and tribal governments; colleges and universities; non-profits, and; for-profit organizations (including non-exempt cooperatives in most cases).