Department of Agriculture

The Rural Business—Cooperative Service announces the availability of $2,855,222 in competitive grant funds for the FY 2013 Small Socially-Disadvantaged Producer Grants (SSDPG) program.  We are requesting proposals from applicants that will provide technical assistance to small, socially-disadvantaged agricultural producers in rural areas.  See https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-06-12/pdf/2013-13867.pdf for more information.

Eligible applicants include Cooperative Development Centers, individual Cooperatives, or Groups of Cooperatives that serve socially-disadvantaged groups and where a majority of the boards or directors or governing board is comprised of members of socially-disadvantaged groups.  Grants may not be made to public bodies or to individuals.

The maximum award per grant is $200,000.

An applicant must obtain a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and register in the System for Awards Management (SAM, formally managed by the Central Contractor Registry (CCR)) prior to submitting an application.

The application package for applying on paper for this funding opportunity is located at https://www.rurdev.usda.gov/BCP_SSDPG.html.

Paper copies must be postmarked and mailed, shipped, or sent overnight no later than July 15, 2013, to be eligible for FY 2013 grant funding. You may also hand carry your application to one of our field offices, but it must be received by close of business on the July 15, 2013, deadline date.

 For more information, contact:

Timothy W. O’Connell | Assistant to the State Director 

Rural Development

United States Department of Agriculture

Phone:  808-933-8313 | Fax:  808-933-8326 | Cell:  808-443-7043

www.rurdev.usda.gov | “Committed to the future of rural communities”