Socially Disadvantaged, Beginning, or Military Veteran Farmers Specialty Crop Grant

Socially Disadvantaged, Beginning, or Military Veteran Farmers Specialty Crop Grant is sponsored by New Jersey Department of Agriculture. This funding opportunity supports New Jersey specialty crop farmers who identify as Socially Disadvantaged, Beginning, or Military Veteran Farmers. Small grants are provided to enhance production, marketing, and research efforts in specialty crop agriculture.

Underserved, Beginning and Military Veteran Farmers Mini-Grant Program Underserved, Beginning and Military Veteran Farmers Mini-Grant Program Please note: This program is currently closed to new applicants.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) requests applications for the funding available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP), and the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 (H. R. 133) to carry out projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.

The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to build upon the SCBGP’s mission to enhance New Jersey’s specialty crop industry through our community of underserved farmers, including those who are Socially Disadvantaged, Beginning or Military Veteran farmers of Specialty Crops in the state of New Jersey.

The NJDA requests that all interested and eligible organizations representing New Jersey’s underserved specialty crop industry submit project proposals via email to NJDA. grants@ag. nj.

gov for consideration for this funding on or before Friday, February 28, 2025, at 5 p. m. EST.

Any applications received after this deadline will not be considered. Funding for projects up to $5,000 will be available to selected and approved applicants after April 1, 2025. Grants during this third RFP are open only to qualified agricultural producers who seek to develop projects that will increase production, marketing, and research of specialty crops.

Organizations must be majority-owned (51% or greater) by individuals who identify as either Socially-Disadvantaged ( including women ), Beginning, or Veteran Farmers. Eligibility will be determined by a self-certification process, outlined in the project profile template. If you are unsure of your eligibility, please go to the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service webpage for Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers.

Organizations who received funding through this program’s previous funding rounds are considered ineligible to apply for this round of Underserved, Beginning and Military Veteran Farmer Mini-Grant funding.

For the purpose of this grant program, “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.

Examples of Allowable Activities The Underserved Farmers Mini-Grant will fund allowable projects under the guidelines established by the FY21 USDA-AMS Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and the USDA-AMS General Terms and Conditions .

Projects can include activities such as: Researching new cultivars Providing outreach opportunities on specialty crops to youth, families, seniors, and the overall community Marketing specialty crops through a targeted promotional campaign Purchasing special purpose equipment Holding an educational workshop Distributing product promotional materials Projects can receive funding for activities conducted between April 1, 2025 – September 29, 2025 .

For more information, please read through the FY21 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program RFA, particularly section 1. 4. 4 , section 3.

3. 1 , and section 4. 7.

2 . Please disregard the due dates listed on this document. This program is currently closed.