Idaho Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
The 2025 Farm Bill applications are OPEN.
Specialty crop grant funding is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture and is allocated to the state to be awarded through a competitive grant process. The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) conducts an annual competitive solicitation process to award Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funds to projects that enhance the competitiveness of Idaho specialty crops.
Eligibility Criteria
Projects must enhance the competitiveness of Idaho grown specialty crops in either domestic or foreign markets and must provide a benefit to more than a single organization, institution, or individual. Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture. For a list of eligible and ineligible specialty crops, see Specialty Crop Definition.
Funds are available to interested local, state, and federal government agencies, non-profit and for-profit organizations, and universities.
Projects may include, but are not limited to:
- Increasing child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops
- Pest and disease control
- Sustainability
- Enhancing food safety
- Developing new and improved seed varieties and specialty crops
- Improving efficiency and reducing costs of distribution systems
- Developing and enhancing domestic and international markets
- Expanding availability and access to specialty crops
- Enhancing local food systems
- Improving production practices through innovative technologies
- Improving agricultural workforce
- Improving the capacity of all entities in the specialty crop distribution chain in developing good agricultural, handling, or manufacturing practices.
- Investing in specialty crop research, including research to focus on conservation and environmental outcomes.
2025 Specialty Crop Block Grant Timeline
January 2025 – Request for Proposals Released
January 16, 11AM MST – Application Webinar
March 10, 2025 – Applications Due to ISDA
March 2025 – Applications Reviewed, Scored, and Selected
May 2025 – Idaho State Plan Submitted to USDA
September 2025 – Post-Award Webinar
October – November 2025 – Disbursement Agreements to Grantees
November – December 2025 – Anticipated Project Start Date
September 29, 2028 – Projects Conclude No Later Than
The links below provide detailed information on how to apply, as well as the complete set of application documents.
For additional details and to submit your application, please visit: https://www.gotomygrants.com/Public/Opportunities/Details/770a7d2e-09d7-41de-b258-3e2e75d02e49.
- 2025 SCBG AmpliFund Training
- All applications must be submitted through AmpliFund. For step-by-step guidance on completing your application, please view this recorded training.
- 2025 SCBG Application
- When opening the template, you will receive a ‘Please wait…’ error message. Please download the document to your computer and open the file with Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat to access the application pdf. USDA requires the use of a specific document format, known as XFA (XML Forms Architecture), for submitting the application.
- 2025 Specialty Crop Block Grant Application Guidelines
- 2025 Application Outcome Measures and Indicators
- Sales is a MANDATORY measure for all marketing and promotion projects. Any projects using Outcome 1, MUST include Indicator 1.5
- Register with SAM.gov
- SCBG Application Example
- USDA Multi-State SCBGP Information
- 2024 Post Award Webinar
- 2024 Post Award Webinar Presentation
- Subrecipient Webinar Presentation – December 2021
- Subrecipient Webinar Video – December 2021
- Ledger Review Checklist
- Travel Guidelines and Policies
- Performance Report Template (2021 and HR133 Grants)
- Performance Report Template (2022 Grants to Present)
- Annual Performance Report Example
- Final Performance Report Example (pdf)
- General Terms and Conditions (2021- Present) (pdf)
- 2020 General Terms and Conditions (pdf)
- 2019 General Terms and Conditions (pdf)
- 2017-2018 General Terms and Conditions (pdf)
- Guidelines to Request an Extension
- Guidelines to Request a Change of Scope
- SCBGP Performance Measures
Please save the files onto your hard drive before editing the documents. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the file.
For more information contact: SCBG@isda.idaho.gov