Specialty Crop Block Grant Program - Farm Bill

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), requests applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2021 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) to award grants to eligible State departments of agriculture to carry out projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Not including AMS administrative costs, approximately $72.9 million in annual Farm Bill funding is available for applications under this solicitation. An additional $97 million (without AMS administrative costs) is also available for applications under this solicitation. Congress has provided this funding due to COVID-19 impacts to the food system. These additional funds are referred to as H.R. 133 Stimulus Funding throughout this Request for Applications (RFA).This announcement identifies the eligibility criteria for SCBGP projects and applicants, and the application forms and associated instructions needed to apply for a SCBGP award.AMS encourages applications that benefit smaller farms and ranches, new and beginning farmers and ranchers, socially disadvantaged producers, veteran producers, and/or underserved communities. For grants intending to serve these entities, applicants should engage and involve those beneficiaries when developing projects and applications.