Deadline: 24-Feb-22
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is seeking applications for its Specialty Crop Block Grants Program to enhance the competitiveness of Michigan specialty crops, which include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).
The funds can be used for projects involved in promotion, marketing, research, nutrition, trade enhancement, food safety, food security, plant health programs, education, increased child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption, increased innovation, improved efficiency and reduced costs of distribution systems, environmental concerns and conservation, product development, good agricultural practices, good handling practices, and good manufacturing practices.
Funding Priorities
- Covid-19 industry disruptions
- Market Enhancement to promote specialty crops
- Market Expansion, Availability, and Access to Specialty Crops
- Farm to Institution
- Research and Development relevant to specialty crops
- Plant Health & Pest Management
- Farm Sustainability
- Training & Education addressing local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers
- Enhancing Food Safety
- Environmental Sustainability
- Workforce/Labor
Funding Information
The maximum award amount is $100,000 for research proposals and $125,000 for marketing, training and education proposals per proposal. Only proposals submitted in whole dollar amounts will be considered.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible entities include non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, local, state, and federal government entities, including tribal governments. If you are a university applying for funding, your proposal must be submitted by the commodity group or other eligible organization for which the work is being performed. The budget should reflect that the work by the university is contractual with the commodity group.
For more information, visit https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/business-development/grantfund/specialty-crop-block-grants