Overview
The purpose of this program is to enhance the competitiveness of U.S. or U.S. territory grown specialty crops in either domestic or foreign markets, including—(1) by leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops;(2) by assisting producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops; (3) by expanding availability and access to specialty crops; (4) by addressing local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers; and (5) for such other purposes determined to be appropriate by the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with specialty crop stakeholders and relevant State departments of agriculture.
The Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 authorized the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill) amended the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004. Under the amended Act, the Secretary of Agriculture is directed to make grants to States for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012 to be used by State departments of agriculture to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 provided funding for fiscal year 2013, section 10010 of the Agricultural Act of 2014, Public Law 113-79 provided funding for fiscal years 2014 through 2018 and section 10107 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 will provide funding for fiscal years 2019 through 2023.
Eligibility
- Local Government
- Academic Institutions
- Consortia
- Native American Tribe
- Non Profits
- Private Sector
- Schools/School Districts
- State Government
State and/or local organizations, government entities, producer associations, academia, community based organizations, and other specialty crop stakeholders are eligible to apply either as single entities or in combined efforts. Regional or multistate projects may be considered by AZDA. SCBGP grant funds will be awarded for projects of up to 2 years duration. An entity may submit more than one application packet, but only if the application packets are for completely different projects. If submitting multiple project application packets, please prioritize your submissions.
To be eligible for a grant, the project(s) must enhance the competitiveness of U.S. or U.S. territory grown specialty crops in either domestic or foreign markets, including—(1) by leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops;(2) by assisting producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops; (3) by expanding availability and access to specialty crops; (4) by addressing local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers; and (5) for such other purposes determined to be appropriate by the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with specialty crop stakeholders and relevant State departments of agriculture.
AMS SCBGP will not award grant funds for projects that solely benefit a particular commercial product or provide a profit to a single organization, institution, or individual. In addition, recipients and subrecipients cannot use grant funds to compete unfairly with private companies that provide equivalent products or services. Single organizations, institutions, and individuals are encouraged to participate as project partners.
Financial
(min) $100,000.00
(max)
AZDA plans to award multiple grants from these funds for the fiscal year 2019 grant cycle. The maximum grant request shall not exceed $100,000.00. The average award in previous cycles has been approximately $63,000.00. AZDA may place a per application cap on grant awards. USDA, however, as the funding source, has the final approval over grant projects. Thus, while AZDA’s Director makes the preliminary decisions based on AZDA staff review and recommendations from a review panel of industry representatives, USDA will make the final decision concerning grant awards.
Contact
Lisa James or Ashley Estes (Worthington)
SCBGP Grant Program Coordinators
Arizona Department of Agriculture
1688 West Adams Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: (602) 542-3262 or Phone: (602) 542-0972
E-mail: ljames@azda.gov or aestes@azda.gov
Toll Free Outside Maricopa County: (800) 294-0308
Fax: (602) 364-0830
Files
| Grant Manual: | SCBGP 2019 Grant Manual Final 022719 Combined (6.1 Mb) |
| Application Cover Sheet: | Appendix B - Application Cover Sheet Fill and Save (307.4 Kb) |
| Project Profile Template: | Appendix C - Project Profile Template (76.0 Kb) |
For instructions on downloading the application files, please visit our website at: https://agriculture.az.gov/grants
Please take the time to read this grant manual carefully and follow all given instructions. Incomplete applications, applications that include support letters or documentation, or applications that exceed the given page limits shall be deemed ineligible. Applicants are strongly encouraged to communicate with industry representatives or stakeholders that may be affected by the grant application so that they are aware of the efforts.
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