Courtesy of the CDFA
2023 SPECIALTY CROP MULTI-STATE PROGRAM
This is a federal grant program offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The purpose of the program is to competitively award funds to projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by funding collaborative, multi-state projects that address regional or national level specialty crop issues, including food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crop-specific projects addressing common issues, and marketing and promotion.
Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture). All prospective applicants are encouraged to review the 2023 Request for Applications: https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/2023_SCMP_RFA.pdf
Additional information about the grant program , including application instructions and templates are available on the CDFA website: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Specialty_Crop_Competitiveness_Grants/SCMP.html
Grant awards will range from $250,000 to $1 million per project and projects may last for up to three years. Specialty crop producer associations and groups, other state agencies, Tribal government entities, universities, non-profits, and other stakeholder groups and organizations are eligible to apply.
All proposals must include at least two partners (referred to as “multi-state partners”) with substantive involvement in the project, and the multi-state partners must be located in two different states to qualify for the program.
The deadline to submit proposals is 1:59 p.m. PT on December 22, 2023. Proposals must be submitted electronically to grants@cdfa.ca.gov.
CDFA will conduct a webinar on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, at 10:00 am PDT featuring an overview of the proposal application. There is no cost to attend; however, space is limited and CDFA requests that attendees register in advance.
Webinar registration link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3443709335194813016
All questions regarding the Specialty Crop Multi-State Program should be emailed to grants@cdfa.ca.gov. Please include “SCMP” in the subject line.
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