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The New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) has opened the application period for the 2026 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP). Applicants may request up to $40,000 in grant funding. To apply, submit project proposals through SimpliGov on or before May 14th, 2026, at 5:00 PM EST. NJDA will be hosting a virtual info session focused on eligibility requirements, program guidelines, and application materials on Tuesday, April 28th at 10:00 am.
NJDA Specialty Crop Block Grant webpage
Program Overview:
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) requests proposals for funding made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) to carry out projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.
Specialty crops are defined as: vegetables and fruits, including grapes for wine, nuts, horticultural products including Christmas trees, honey, herbs, potatoes, sweet corn, and other specialty crops, including algae.
Agricultural commodities which are not eligible for these grant funds include, but are not limited to: feed crops, food grains, seafood, livestock, dairy, and poultry products, including eggs, range grasses, and oilseed crops.
Available Funding:
The NJDA received $1,023,883.78 in program funding from the USDA-AMS to support eligible projects. Applicants may request up to $40,000 in grant funding. There is no cost-share or matching requirement for this program.
Eligibility Requirements:
Eligible applicants include organizations who submit projects that enhance the competitiveness of New Jersey Specialty Crops in either domestic or foreign markets. Applications for grant funds should describe how the project potentially affects and produces measurable outcomes for the specialty crop industry and/or the public, rather than a single organization, institution, or individual. To strengthen the competitiveness of your application, single organizations are encouraged to participate and apply as project partners.
Grant funding will not be awarded for projects that promote or provide profit that solely benefits a single organization, institution, or individual. Organizations cannot request grant funds to compete unfairly with companies that provide equivalent products or services.
Eligible Project Activities:
Projects must “enhance the competitiveness” of specialty crops 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;
- Addressing local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers; and/or
- For such other purposes determined to be appropriate by the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with specialty crop stakeholders and relevant State departments of agriculture.
Organizations are encouraged to develop projects pertaining to the following issues affecting the specialty crop industry:
- Enhancing food safety
- Improving the capacity of all entities in the specialty crop distribution chain to comply with the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (21 U.S.C. Chapter 27), for example, developing “Good Agricultural Practices,” “Good Handling Practices,” “Good Manufacturing Practices,” and in cost-share arrangements for funding audits of such systems (including USDA Group GAP) for small farmers, packers and processors;
- Investing in specialty crop research, including research to focus on conservation and environmental outcomes;
- Developing new and improved seed varieties and specialty crops;
- Pest and disease control;
- Increasing child and adult nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops;
- Improving efficiency and reducing costs of distribution systems; and
- Sustainability.
Project Examples:
Examples of Acceptable Projects:
- A non-profit organization requests funds to demonstrate the viability of organic small fruit production and partners with Cooperative Extension to publicize the working model of diversification to other regional growers.
- A single farmer implements food safety practices or models on his/her property to meet food safety requirements and conducts a field day and training services to encourage other small family farmers to adopt the methods
Examples of Unacceptable Projects:
- A company requests grant funds to purchase starter plants or equipment used to plant, cultivate, and grow a specialty crop to make a profit or to expand production of a single business or organization.
- A single specialty crop organization requests grant funds to market its organization so that it can increase its membership.
How to Apply:
The NJDA requests that all interested organizations representing New Jersey’s specialty crop industry submit project proposals through SimpliGov on or before May 14th, 2026, at 5:00 PM EST. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered.
To access the application portal, please click here, or go to the NJDA Specialty Crop Block Grant webpage.
Funding for projects up to $40,000 will be available to selected and approved applicants at a date to be determined.
To ensure your application for Specialty Crop Block Grant Program funding aligns with the intent of the program, please review the NJDA’s application scoring criteria found under “Attachment I” of the state RFP document.
If you do not receive confirmation of submission of your application through SimpliGov, please call or e-mail me.
Info Sessions & Technical Assistance:
All interested applicants are encouraged to join the NJDA for our 2026 Specialty Crop Block Grant Info Session on Tuesday, April 28th at 10:00 am. Register to attend the virtual program info-session where we’ll discuss eligibility requirements, program guidelines, application materials, with some time for Q&A at the end. This info-session will be recorded and posted on the program website following the conclusion of the meeting.
Register here: https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/83530d64-5173-432a-8b27-ff28fef72149@5076c3d1-3802-4b9f-b36a-e0a41bd642a7
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