The Department of Agriculture announced on Friday that its marketing division will be accepting proposals for the 2017 Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (S.C.M.P.).
The purpose of the S.C.M.P., according to D.O.A., is to support initiatives that solely 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. (Review the 2017 S.C.M.P. request for applications for detailed application instructions.)
Grant awards will range from $250,000 to $1 million per project, and projects may last for up to three years, according to D.O.A. Specialty crop producer associations and groups, state government agencies, tribal government entities, universities, nonprofits, and other stakeholder organizations are all eligible to apply. All S.C.M.P. 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 SCMP proposals to D.O.A.'s marketing division is 4:59 p.m. on September 18, 2017. Proposals must be submitted electronically to D.O.A. Director of Marketing Billy Abraham at [email protected]
All questions regarding the S.C.M.P. should be emailed to [email protected]
Advertisements
