Specialty Crop Multi-State Program

Program Purpose

The SCMP supports collaborative multi-state partnerships to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through competitively funded projects The focus is to 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. Projects must enhance the competitiveness of U.S. or U.S. territory-grown specialty crops in either domestic or foreign markets.

Project Area Types

Multi-state partners must develop projects that bring together teams for solutions to practical problems that cross State boundaries and address the needs of specialty crop growers in the areas of food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crop-specific projects addressing common issues, and marketing and promotion. All project area types are 3-year projects with funding ranging between $250,000 and $1,000,000.

Available Funding

Approximately $10 million will be available to fund SCMP projects in FY 2023.

Eligibility

Entities residing in a participating state must apply through their State Department of Agriculture. Entities residing in a participating state are ineligible to apply directly to AMS.

Entities in a non-participating state may apply to AMS directly or choose to contact an adjacent participating state to apply on behalf of the entity.

Non-profits entities must apply directly to AMS.

All applicants must be domestic entities owned, operated, and located within the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Entity Type Description
Participating States

State Departments of Agriculture that elect to submit proposals to AMS on behalf of interested entities as well as oversee the administration of awarded agreements.

Note: AMS recognizes that some States may not have the resources for SCMP administration or have additional restrictions or requirements related to project costs, administration, or activities. Participating States may use Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) administrative funds to offset costs related to SCMP pre- and post-award activities.
Nonparticipating States

State Departments of Agriculture that do not elect to submit proposals to AMS on behalf of interested entities and will not oversee the administration of awarded agreements.
Entities in Nonparticipating States

Local governments, Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, or nonprofit organizations residing in Nonparticipating States. Entities located in a Nonparticipating State would apply directly to AMS.
Nonprofit Corporations

Any organization or institution, including nonprofits with State or IRS 501 (c) status and accredited institutions of higher education, where no part of the organization or institution’s net earnings of which inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

Cost Sharing or Matching

No federal cost sharing or matching requirement.

Funded projects

For more information, go to the SCMP Awarded Grants webpage.

Additional Resources