Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (10.621)
Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (Assistance Listing 10.621) is run by the Foreign Agricultural Service, part of the Department of Agriculture. It awarded $21.9 million in 9 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $2.4 million per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $2.5 million. Half of the 9 awards fell between $1.0 million and $3.3 million, and they ranged from $477,693 to $4.8 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$21.9 million
- Grant awards9
- Typical award$2.5 million
- Awarded in FY 2025$15.5 million
- Size rank1282 of 1824
- Type of assistanceGrant, cooperative agreement
Key findings
- It is the 1282nd largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 8 largest recipients received 100% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 6 states and territories.
What the program funds
ASCE addresses barriers unique to specialty crops exports. It supports projects that advance U.S. specialty crop exports by expanding domestic understanding of foreign food safety systems and foreign understanding of U.S. food safety systems. The initiative will also collect information needed for export certification, and packaging to meet other countries' new requirements.
Open opportunities
No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.
Rules from the program listing
Who can apply
State agricultural experiment stations, State cooperative extension services, all colleges and universities, other research or education institutions and organizations, Federal and private agencies and organizations, individuals, and any other organization, whether foreign or domestic. n.b. Individual Notices of Funding Opportunity may be made available to a subset of these organizations.
What the money can and cannot pay for
Awards may support reasonable and necessary costs appropriate for the projects being undertaken, which will vary from project to project, but may include (for example) personal compensation for technical experts; travel and subsistence expenses for participants; materials and supplies; consumables; equipment; etc. Each project scope will necessarily differ, but may commonly include market research, training workshops, and data collection. Each Notice of Funding Opportunity will specify project-specific goals, which will vary from project to project, but are intended when working in concert to address and overcome barriers to specialty crop exports. Generally, funds may not be used in any manner that is prohibited by applicable regulations, including 2 CFR Part 200 and 2 CFR Part 400. Capital expenses, such as the purchase of equipment, not entirely attributable to this award, must be pro-rated. Agreement funds and other support may not be used for matching contributions for other federal grants or cooperative agreements, lobbying, or intervention in federal regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings. Federal employees are prohibited from acting as an agent of the applicant in any capacity (paid or unpaid) on any application submitted under this program. Also, federal funds may not be used to sue the Federal Government or any other government entity. Compensation for personal services may be limited, as described in the notice of funding opportunity.;
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
Awards range between $10,000 and $5,000,000, depending on the nature of a particular activity. Individual Notices of Funding Opportunity will indicate a more specific value range for each activity.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2024: In 2024, ASCE funded 7 projects to improve consistency and use of science in pesticide maximum residue levels in Africa, Asia, and Latin America; and to research improved packaging materials to meet stricter requirements for sustainability in Europe.Fiscal Year2025: In 2025, ASCE funded 8 projects to improve consistency and use of science in pesticide maximum residue levels in Africa, Asia, and Latin America; and to research improved packaging materials to meet stricter requirements for sustainability in Europe.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (10.621) awarded$21.9 million across 9 grant awards, an average of $2.4 million per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cab International | 2 | $5.0 million | |
| Clemson University | South Carolina | 1 | $4.8 million |
| Foundation for Fresh Produce by Ifpa, Inc | Delaware | 1 | $3.3 million |
| Ag Aligned Global LLC | Oregon | 1 | $3.0 million |
| Foodchain Id Group Inc | Iowa | 1 | $2.5 million |
| Minor Use Foundation, Inc | North Carolina | 1 | $2.0 million |
| Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture | 1 | $966,191 | |
| American Olive Oil Producers Association | California | 1 | $477,693 |
Who usually wins
Nonprofits received 26% of the money, colleges and universities 22% and small businesses 14%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 3 | $6.0 million | 27% |
| Nonprofits | 3 | $5.7 million | 26% |
| Colleges and universities | 1 | $4.8 million | 22% |
| Small businesses | 1 | $3.0 million | 14% |
| Businesses | 1 | $2.5 million | 11% |
By state
5 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards. They are South Carolina, Delaware, Oregon, Iowa and North Carolina.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 1 | $4.8 million |
| Delaware | 1 | $3.3 million |
| Oregon | 1 | $3.0 million |
| Iowa | 1 | $2.5 million |
| North Carolina | 1 | $2.0 million |
| California | 1 | $477,693 |