The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection is currently accepting applications for its Specialty Crop Block Grants Program.
Donor Name: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
State: Wisconsin
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/24/2022
Size of the Grant: $10,000 and $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 years 8 months
Details:
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).”
Funding Information
- Competitive grants will be awarded for projects between $10,000 and $100,000.
- SCBG grant funds will be awarded for projects up to 2 years, 8 months in duration, and must conclude by June 30, 2025.
Priority Areas
- Environmental sustainability, pest and disease control, and varietal improvement
- Development of food safety practices, outreach, and education that assist with compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices (GHP) certification.
- Increasing the demand for and supply of Wisconsin specialty crops
- Industry innovation in production, processing, packaging, and distribution
- Education for producers, processors and the general public to improve production practices or increase sales or consumption of Wisconsin specialty crops.
Eligible Projects
- To be eligible for a grant, the project(s) must solely enhance the competitiveness of Wisconsin grown specialty crops and cannot benefit any non-specialty crops. Priority will be given to projects that have the potential to provide solutions that lead to measurable benefits to specialty crop growers and consumers.
- Grant funds will not be awarded for projects that provide profit to or directly benefit a specific commercial product or a single organization, institution, business, or individual. For example, the program will not fund a project to start or expand a farm or business venture.
- Projects must include a plan to disseminate project results to the targeted industry.
Eligibility Criteria
- Proposed projects must include documented support by the impacted specialty crop growers or industry sector. This may be illustrated by support from industry sector organizations or by individual letters of support from growers or processers.
- Proposals will be accepted from non-profit organizations, producer organizations, government agencies, universities, and other organizations involved in Wisconsin agriculture. Individual producers, for-profit businesses, and commercial entities may only apply if their project can demonstrate a significant benefit to the specialty crop industry regionally, statewide, or beyond. Proposals may involve collaborations or partnerships between producers, industry, academia, or agricultural organizations. Applicants may cooperate with any public or private organization.
- Projects cannot include non-specialty crops even if other funding is used to pay for the non-specialty crop portion of the project.
For more information, visit Specialty Crop Block Grants.
