Opportunity Information: Apply for 2019 04
The Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) grant opportunity is a discretionary federal funding program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), specifically through the Office of Trade Programs within the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), acting on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation. Its central purpose is trade-focused: it funds projects that help U.S. organizations remove, resolve, or reduce sanitary, phytosanitary, and other technical barriers that either currently block exports or could reasonably threaten future exports of U.S. specialty crops. In practical terms, this program is aimed at helping U.S. producers and industry groups deal with issues like plant health requirements, food safety or inspection rules, residue limits, pest and disease concerns, labeling or quality standards, and similar regulatory or technical requirements in foreign markets that can keep specialty crops from being shipped or sold abroad.
For this program, "specialty crops" are broadly defined as cultivated plants and plant products produced in the United States, but with important exclusions. The definition covers essentially all cultivated plants and related products except for wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, and tobacco. That means the program is generally geared toward products such as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, horticultural products, nursery crops, and other plant-based commodities that fall outside the excluded categories. The emphasis is not on general marketing or promotion, but on addressing the technical and regulatory obstacles that prevent exports from moving forward or expanding.
The opportunity is offered as a grant under CFDA (now commonly referred to as Assistance Listing) number 10.604, categorized under agriculture. The funding opportunity title is "Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops," with funding opportunity number 2019 04. The posting indicates an award ceiling of $500,000 per award and an expectation of about 20 total awards, suggesting a competitive selection process where proposed projects are likely evaluated based on their ability to deliver measurable impact on export market access or reduce documented trade barriers affecting specialty crops.
A wide range of applicants are eligible, reflecting the program's intent to support many types of organizations that can credibly execute technical trade barrier work. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments as well as other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those categories); and for-profit organizations other than small businesses. This mix allows participation from public agencies, universities, industry associations, research entities, and private-sector organizations that have the expertise and industry connections to tackle market access problems.
As listed in the source data, the opportunity was created on May 28, 2019, with an original application closing date of June 28, 2019. Overall, the TASC program is best understood as a targeted tool to help U.S. specialty crop stakeholders overcome the kinds of technical trade restrictions that can shut exporters out of a market, slow shipments, or increase compliance costs, by funding projects that directly address those barriers through technical assistance, engagement, and problem-solving work tied to export readiness and market access.Apply for 2019 04
- The Department of Agriculture, Office of Trade Programs in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.604.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 28, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 28, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses.
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Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) Grant FAQs
1) What is the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) program?
TASC is a discretionary federal grant program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It is administered through the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Office of Trade Programs, acting on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation. The program funds projects designed to remove, resolve, or reduce technical barriers that block or could threaten exports of U.S. specialty crops.
2) What is the main purpose of the TASC grant?
The central purpose is trade-focused market access. TASC supports efforts that address sanitary, phytosanitary, and other technical requirements in foreign markets that prevent U.S. specialty crops from being exported, accepted, or sold.
3) What kinds of barriers does TASC aim to address?
TASC targets technical and regulatory barriers in foreign markets, including issues related to plant health requirements, food safety or inspection rules, residue limits, pest and disease concerns, labeling requirements, quality standards, and similar technical rules that can restrict shipments or increase compliance costs.
4) Is TASC intended for general marketing or promotion activities?
No. The emphasis is not on general marketing or promotion. The program is aimed at technical and regulatory problem-solving work that improves export readiness and market access by reducing or resolving documented trade barriers.
5) What qualifies as a "specialty crop" under this opportunity?
For TASC, specialty crops are broadly defined as cultivated plants and plant products produced in the United States, with specific exclusions. In general, this includes products such as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, horticultural products, nursery crops, and other plant-based commodities that are not in the excluded list.
6) Which commodities are excluded from the TASC definition of specialty crops?
The definition of specialty crops for this opportunity excludes wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, and tobacco.
7) Who runs and administers the TASC program?
The program is run by USDA, specifically through the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Office of Trade Programs, acting on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation.
8) What is the Assistance Listing (CFDA) number for this grant?
The Assistance Listing (formerly CFDA) number provided is 10.604.
9) What is the funding opportunity title and number?
The funding opportunity title is "Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops" and the funding opportunity number listed is 2019 04.
10) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling) per grant?
The posted award ceiling is $500,000 per award.
11) How many awards are expected to be made?
The posting indicates an expectation of about 20 total awards, which suggests a competitive selection process.
12) What types of organizations are eligible to apply?
A wide range of applicants are listed as eligible, including:
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- Federally recognized Native American tribal governments
- Other Native American tribal organizations
- Public housing authorities / Indian housing authorities
- Nonprofit organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those categories
- For-profit organizations other than small businesses
13) Are universities and colleges eligible applicants?
Yes. Both public/state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are listed as eligible applicant types.
14) Are tribal governments or tribal organizations eligible?
Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations are both listed as eligible applicants.
15) Are nonprofit organizations required to have 501(c)(3) status?
No. The eligibility list includes nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (with the noted caveat that these nonprofits are not institutions of higher education in those categories).
16) Are for-profit businesses eligible?
For-profit organizations are listed as eligible as long as they are not small businesses (the eligibility category is stated as "for-profit organizations other than small businesses").
17) What kinds of results are TASC projects expected to deliver?
Based on the posting, projects are expected to deliver measurable impact related to export market access for U.S. specialty crops, such as reducing or resolving technical barriers that block exports or could reasonably threaten future exports.
18) What is the overall focus of TASC-funded work?
The overall focus is technical assistance, engagement, and problem-solving tied directly to export readiness and market access. The goal is to help U.S. organizations address foreign regulatory and technical requirements that impede specialty crop exports.
19) When was this opportunity created and when did it close?
The source information states the opportunity was created on May 28, 2019, and the original application closing date was June 28, 2019.
20) What government category is this program listed under?
The program is categorized under agriculture.
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