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2026 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

Grantor:
CA Department of Food and Agriculture
Departmental Grant ID:
79437
Portal ID:
145569
Status:
Closed
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
Categories:

Details

Purpose:

The California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funds projects that enhance the competitiveness of California specialty crops. The SCBGP is designed to support all sectors of California's specialty crop industry and improve the performance of California specialty crops within local, domestic, national, and international markets.

Description:

Funding and Duration: Grant amounts for the conventional program range from $100,000 to $500,000. The maximum grant duration is two (2) years, eight (8) months, and grant funds cannot be expended before November 1, 2026, or after June 30, 2029.

 

Projects submitted through the Additional Assistance for Limited Resource Applicants (Additional Assistance) Program will range from $100,000 to $250,000. Program requirements and submission deadlines differ for Additional Assistance Program applicants. The 2026 Request for Concept Proposals - Additional Assistance Program will be available in November 2026.

 

Please email grants@cdfa.ca.gov for more information.

 

CDFA reserves the right to offer an award amount different than the amount requested.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Business
  • Nonprofit
  • Public Agency
  • Tribal Government

Non-profit and for-profit organizations; local, state, and federal government entities, including Tribal governments (federally and non-federally recognized); and public or private colleges and universities are eligible to apply. Individuals are not eligible to apply. 

Eligibility requirements for the Additional Assistance Program (opening in November 2025) differ. Please visit the SCBGP website or email grants@cdfa.ca.gov for more information.

Matching Funding Requirement:

Cost sharing is not a requirement of the SCBGP and is discouraged by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. CDFA includes the ability to outline cost share in proposals so that unallowable costs and/or activities (such as projects that also benefit non-specialty crops) can demonstrate that SCBGP funds will not be used for these costs. Cost share is not required and, as an unscored question, does not impact whether projects will be awarded funding.

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
Fall 2026
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
11/1/2026-06/30/2029

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
$23,000,000
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
$100,000 – $500,000
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
No
The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • Federal

Funding Source Notes:

Funding is contingent upon passage of a Farm Bill and available funding from the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service.

The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Advances & Reimbursement(s)

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
Lauren McCawley, 1-916-657-3231, grants@cdfa.ca.gov

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