Producer-owned cooperatives, for-profit entities, and food hubs have been awarded SCBG funding, as seen in the list of past grantees. The program encourages projects from any applicant type that are provide broad industry benefit to Minnesota specialty crops.
Eligible applicants include:
- Nonprofit organizations
- Producer organizations
- Government agencies
- Public and private institutions of higher education
- Private businesses and researchers
It should be noted that projects submitted by individual producers, for-profit businesses, or commercial entities are not eligible for a SCBG if the grant funds will be used for projects that will start or expand a business; solely benefit a particular commercial product; provide a profit to a single organization, institution, or individual; or result in unfair competition with private companies that provide equivalent products or services. Applications from such applicants must benefit a segment of a Minnesota specialty crop industry and not just the applicant organization. They also must provide knowledge that is transferable to other entities and incorporate a clear plan or disseminating the results of their research, production methods, etc., to provide value to the specialty crop industry at large.
Though most grants under this program are awarded to universities and nonprofits, the evaluation criteria treat all entities equally, as long as they are capable of performing the proposed work.
All applications will be reviewed and scored on the extent of external support from specialty crop growers, grower-level groups, processors, and distributors (stakeholders), and how the project may affect and produce measurable outcomes for the specialty crop industry segment and/or the public. These evaluation criteria are often more difficult for for-profit entities to demonstrate. Your proposal may be strengthened by including a plan to share results with a wide audience of beneficiaries, collaborate or partner with a nonprofit or academic organization to broaden your external support from stakeholders, or conduct outreach to collect data on project outcomes.
Producer-owned cooperatives, for-profit entities, and food hubs have been awarded SCBG funding, as seen in the list of past grantees. The program encourages projects from any applicant type that are provide broad industry benefit to Minnesota specialty crops.
We do accept applications from organizations outside of Minnesota, if the proposed project aligns with the grant program’s goals of improving the competitiveness of Minnesota’s specialty crops. For example, we’ve previously funded projects with North Dakota State University involving research on potatoes grown in Minnesota because Minnesota potato producers benefited from the project.
Yes, you may submit a proposal—it can be related to the current grant, but that is not a requirement. It is relatively common for us to fund projects that build upon previously funded work. SCBG will not fund duplicative projects.
Projects that stem from a previous grant need to describe how the projects should become self-sustaining or justify funding an ongoing project. Applicants requesting fund for a previously funded SCBG should indicate how the project complements and further advances the competitiveness of the specialty crop market sector and does not duplicate previous work. Ongoing projects must also list the specialty crop stakeholders, other than those involved in the project, who support the continuation of the project.
The application includes a section of questions for proposals that are related to previously funded efforts. These questions ask about how the proposed project differs from the previous project, the outcomes of the previous project, any lessons learned from the project, and how the lessons learned will be incorporated into the next project.
Application and submission process
If your organization doesn’t have a federal Unique Entity ID (UEI), request one online from Sam.gov. The Federal Service Desk has a list of the information and documents you will need.
Note: Because SCBGP grants are federal subawards, you are not required to complete a full registration for your entity. You only need to request a UEI. Follow these step-by-step instructions on YouTube or contact us for additional assistance. We recommend doing this now or early in your application process – it’s free.
If your organization doesn’t have a federal Unique Entity ID (UEI), request one online from Sam.gov. The Federal Service Desk has a list of the information and documents you will need.
Note: Because SCBGP grants are federal subawards, you are not required to complete a full registration for your entity. You only need to request a UEI. Follow these step-by-step instructions on YouTube or contact us for additional assistance. We recommend doing this now or early in your application process – it’s free.
Our online application portal uses character limits. We estimate 3,500 characters per page (see other conversions at character limits into estimated word and page counts). The character limits are listed below the text box of each narrative in the online application. Spaces count towards the character limit.
Our online application portal uses character limits. We estimate 3,500 characters per page (see other conversions at character limits into estimated word and page counts). The character limits are listed below the text box of each narrative in the online application. Spaces count towards the character limit.
Describe all support your proposed project has from any specialty crop stakeholders. Describe the specialty crop producers/farmers, producer organizations, processors, or distributors that support this project and why they support it. If a stakeholder has provided (verbal or written) support to you or a collaborator or partner, you may include those specifics in this narrative.
A thorough description of the involvement of each stakeholder in your project in the narrative box of the application is important.
Stakeholder letters of support are not required to be submitted with your application, but are part of the scoring criteria. Including one or more letters by stakeholders may strengthen your proposal by enabling reviewers to better gauge the level of support for your application.
Describe all support your proposed project has from any specialty crop stakeholders. Describe the specialty crop producers/farmers, producer organizations, processors, or distributors that support this project and why they support it. If a stakeholder has provided (verbal or written) support to you or a collaborator or partner, you may include those specifics in this narrative.
A thorough description of the involvement of each stakeholder in your project in the narrative box of the application is important.
Stakeholder letters of support are not required to be submitted with your application, but are part of the scoring criteria. Including one or more letters by stakeholders may strengthen your proposal by enabling reviewers to better gauge the level of support for your application.
Stakeholders in the project are not necessarily beneficiaries of the project. A beneficiary is an entity that stands to benefit from the performance of the grant project activities. Examples of SCBG project beneficiaries are the attendees of a grant funded workshop who learn how to write a food safety plan; growers who learn how to detect and control a common plant disease by attending a conference presentation; or children who learn about growing, preparing, and eating specialty crops in a school program.
Stakeholders can be growers, grower-level groups, processors, and distributors involved in the specialty crop industry that support the project by standing to benefit from it, or that are assisting the applicant/grantee in setting priorities, by reviewing and commenting on the project, or implementing the project. For the purposes of this grant, stakeholders are not the project partners or collaborators who are listed in the application.
