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The United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) released the pre-application for their Fiscal Year 2021 Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) program with funding levels ranging from $50,000 – $8 million per grant award and an estimated total program funding of $80 million. Applications are due January 26, 2021.

The purpose of the SCRI program is to address the critical needs of the specialty crop industry by awarding grants to support research and extension that address key challenges of national, regional, and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of food and agriculture, including conventional and organic food production systems. Projects must address at least one of five focus areas:

• Research in plant breeding, genetics, genomics, and other methods to improve crop characteristics;
• Efforts to identify and address threats from pests and diseases, including threats to specialty crop pollinators;
• Efforts to improve production efficiency, handling and processing, productivity, and profitability over the long term (including specialty crop policy and marketing);
• New innovations and technology, including improved mechanization and technologies that delay or inhibit ripening;
• Methods to prevent, detect, monitor, control, and respond to potential food safety hazards in the production efficiency, handling and processing of specialty crops.

The following applicants are eligible to apply for SCRI: 1862 Land-Grant Institutions, 1890 Land-Grant Institutions, 1994 Land-Grant Institutions, For-profit Organizations Other Than Small Businesses, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS status, other than Institutions of Higher Ed, Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) IRS status, other than Institutions of Higher Ed, Other or Additional Information (See below), Private Institutions of Higher Ed, Small Business, State Agricultural Experiment Stations, State Controlled Institutions of Higher Ed.

More Information on Eligibility: Pre-applications may only be submitted by Federal agencies, national laboratories, colleges and universities, research institutions and organizations, private organizations, foundations, or corporations, State Agricultural Experiment Stations, Cooperative Extension Services, individuals, or groups consisting of two or more of these entities.

The SCRI program offers the following three project types in FY 2021:

1. Standard Research and Extension Projects (SREPs)
   • Project Period – Up to four years.
   • Budget – Normally, Federal funds will not exceed $1,000,000 per year. Requests less than $250,000 per project are discouraged.
   • Purpose – To support targeted problem-solving efforts that would not qualify in scope for support as a Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP).
2. Coordinated Agricultural Projects (CAPs)
   • Project Period – Up to four years.
   • Budget – Normally, Federal funds will not exceed $2,000,000 per year.
   • Purpose – To address specific multiple components of a primary system or multiple components of areas where primary systems overlap.
3. Research and Extension Planning Projects
   • Project period – One year.
   • Budget – Federal funds up to $50,000 per project.
   • Purpose – To provide assistance to applicants in the development of quality future SREP or CAP proposals (grant planning). Funds may also be requested to provide assistance to consumer, producer, or industry groups for developing strategic research and extension plans – including goals, objectives, priorities, etc. (strategic planning). The expectation is that developed plans could provide the relevance bases for future SCRI grant applications.
     1. Research and Extension Planning Projects are intended to support two types of activities, either to:
        • provide assistance to applicants in the development of quality future SREP or CAP proposals (grant planning) or
        • provide assistance to consumer, producer, or industry groups for developing strategic research and extension plans – including goals, objectives, priorities, etc. (strategic planning). 
     2.  The expectation is that developed “plans” could provide the relevance bases for future SCRI grant applications.
   • Priority will be given to applicants who can:
     1. demonstrate limited resources for either submitting large grant applications or for supporting strategic planning activities on their own;
     2. articulate benefits to be accrued from formal planning activities; and
     3. provide evidence of a high likelihood that quality future applications would be submitted for SCRI projects (desired for grant planning) or would result in a publicly available strategic plan, which could be used to support a variety of industry-relevant research and extension activities, including development of one or more future SCRI grant applications (desired for strategic planning).

The recipient of an award from the SCRI program must provide funds, in-kind contributions, or a combination of both, from sources other than funds provided through such grant in an amount that is at least equal to the amount awarded by NIFA. Matching funds may include, but are not limited to, funds from an agricultural commodity promotion, research, and information program.

The pre-application is due Tuesday, January 26, 2021. Applicants selected to submit a full proposal will be selected after this date.

The full Request for Pre-Application can be found here.

Morrison has had success with this grant program. For more information on this grant or how to apply with Morrison’s assistance, please contact the Morrison Grants Team by email at grants@morrisonco.net or call us at 530-893-4764.