The purpose of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) is to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Specialty crops are defined as “fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).”
The agency, commission, or department responsible for agriculture within any of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is eligible to apply directly to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for grant funds. Organizations or individuals interested in the SCBGP should contact their state department of agriculture for more information.
How do I apply to the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program?
Only state departments of agriculture may apply for funding to AMS.
If you are an individual or other non-federal entity interested in applying, applications for specialty crop projects must be submitted to the appropriate state department of agriculture to be considered for funding. To learn how to apply for SCBGP funding in your state, contact your SCBGP state department of agriculture contact. A listing of the most recent state requests for proposals is below.
The deadline for state departments of agriculture to submit applications to AMS for the 2022 Request for Applications is Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
What are the application requirements?
State departments of agriculture can find the requirements for submitting an application in the most recently published Request for Applications. Applications must be received before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday May 3, 2022 through Grants.gov. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered for funding.
A detailed definition of specialty crops (pdf) was also developed for the purposes of this program and other U.S. Department of Agriculture programs.
The tables below list plants commonly considered fruits and tree nuts, vegetables, culinary herbs and spices, medicinal plants, as well as nursery, floriculture, and horticulture crops. There is also a separate list of ineligible commodities. These lists are not intended to be all inclusive, but rather to provide examples of the most common specialty crops. This web page will be updated as the U.S. Department of Agriculture receives new questions about the eligibility of various crops.
