The Kansas Department of Agriculture is currently accepting applications for the 2025 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
Donor Name: Kansas Department of Agriculture
State: Kansas
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/31/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
Funds for the program are awarded to state departments of agriculture by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The funds are in turn granted to projects and organizations that promote the competitiveness of specialty crops.
The purpose of the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is to enhance the competitiveness of the specialty crop industry by:
- leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops;
- assisting producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops;
- expanding availability and access to specialty crops; and
- addressing local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers.
Specialty crops are defined by the USDA as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops including floriculture.
Funding Information
- available grant allocation is expected to be around $330,000.
- Applicants may apply for up to $100,000 for their projects.
Grant Period
Projects can be up to three years in duration. The grant period must begin on September 30, 2025, and end no later than September 29, 2028.
Examples of projects
- Researching new cultivars.
- Providing outreach opportunities on specialty crops to youth, families, seniors, and the overall community.
- Marketing apples through a targeted promotional campaign.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications for grant funds should describe how the project potentially impacts and produces measurable outcomes for the specialty crop industry and/or the public, rather than a single organization, institution or individual. Grant funds will not be awarded for projects that solely benefit a particular commercial product or provide a profit to a single organization, institution, or individual. Single organizations, institutions, and individuals are encouraged to participate as project partners. Other organizations that are encouraged to apply for these grants are schools, colleges and universities, extension programs, and research institutions.
- The USDA encourages projects that benefit smaller farms and ranches, new and beginning farmers and ranchers, underserved producers, veteran producers, and/or underserved communities.
For more information, visit KDA.
