Can a farm get USDA TASC export money? USDA TASC — Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
Up to $500,000/year
Researched for this program: 5 rejection traps · 6 required documentsWhat decides this award ↓
Yes, a private company can apply, but the project has to benefit a whole crop industry, not your own brand. TASC pays up to $500,000 a year to remove sanitary and phytosanitary barriers to US specialty crop exports.
TASC funds projects that break down sanitary, phytosanitary, and technical barriers that block or threaten US specialty crop exports. For-profit and nonprofit industry groups can apply for up to $500,000/year to fund trade seminars, pest surveys, phytosanitary research, market access studies, and pre-clearance programs. Funds industry-level work — not private promotion of a single company's products.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Amount range
- $500,000
- Realistic amount
- Most awards range from $100,000 to $400,000 per year. About 20 projects are funded annually from $9M total.
- Deadline
- The FY2027 round closed August 14, 2026; FAS announces each year's application period on its website and Grants.gov
- Status
- between-intakes
- States
- Nationwide
- Payment model
- reimbursement
Who qualifies
- US nonprofit, for-profit, and government entities are eligible to apply
- Applicant must be a US domestic entity
- Projects must address trade barriers that affect an entire industry or commodity — not a single company's commercial interests
- For-profit applicants: may not use funds to conduct private business, promote private self-interests, supplement normal sales activities, or promote their own products/services
- Eligible specialty crops: all US-grown cultivated plants and their products EXCEPT wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, and tobacco
- Must provide at least 10% non-federal cost share
Hard requirements
- Must be incorporated
- Restricted to industry: specialty crops (not wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, tobacco)
Questions people ask next
Who is allowed to apply?
Any US organization with a role or interest in specialty crop exports. The rules name government agencies, state agencies, non-profit trade associations, universities, agricultural cooperatives and private companies. Foreign organizations can take part in an activity as third parties but cannot receive the funds. A single grower can apply, but a proposal built around one farm's sales will not fit. Growers usually team up with an association or cooperative that speaks for the crop.
Which crops count as specialty crops?
Most cultivated plants grown in the US, and products made from them. The excluded list is short: wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar and tobacco. The crop must already sell commercially, so the money fixes access problems for an existing export, not a new product idea.
What does the money pay for?
Work that removes a specific sanitary, phytosanitary or technical barrier in a target market, such as a pest rule that blocks shipments. See What it covers below for the usual activities. Program funds cannot cover normal day-to-day operations or promote your own products or services beyond what the project approves.
How much do projects get, and for how long?
Up to $500,000 of USDA funding per year per proposal; larger requests are not considered. Awards generally run no longer than five calendar years, and one organization can have at most five approved projects underway at a time. The Realistic amount row above shows what awards usually look like.
What if no round is open?
Check the Deadline row above. The USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program and the SBA Export Working Capital Program meet different needs and run on their own schedules. The email signup further down tells you when TASC reopens.
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Trade seminars, workshops, and study tours to foreign markets
- Field surveys and pest detection studies in target export markets
- Phytosanitary and pest risk assessment research
- Pre-clearance program development and implementation
- Market access research and technical studies
- Translation of technical materials for foreign regulatory bodies
- Expert consultant fees for regulatory affairs in foreign markets
Ineligible expenses
- Private commercial promotion or advertising of specific company products
- Normal sales and marketing activities of a private business
- Consumer advertising, point-of-sale materials, or brand promotion
- Activities that primarily benefit a single company rather than the broader industry
- Lobbying activities
- Wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, or tobacco
How to apply
-
1
Identify the trade barrier and eligible activity
Document the specific sanitary, phytosanitary, or technical barrier blocking exports of your specialty crop to a target market. TASC funds: seminars/workshops, study tours, field surveys, pest and disease research, and pre-clearance programs. Must benefit the broader industry, not one company.
-
2
Register in SAM.gov and Grants.gov
Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and register in SAM.gov (free, takes 7–10 days). Create a Grants.gov account. Both are required before submitting.
-
3
Prepare and submit application via Grants.gov
Complete the full application package per the TASC Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the current tranche. Include project narrative, budget, 10% match documentation, and letters of support. Submit by the tranche deadline.
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4
FAS review and award
FAS reviews applications for technical merit and alignment with US specialty crop export priorities. Awards are announced within 90–120 days of the tranche close. Multi-year projects (up to 5 years) are approved with annual renewal reviews.
Industry & certifications
NAICS codes: 111, 424490
FAS funds industry-level work — your project must benefit a whole commodity sector, not just your company. For-profit growers typically apply as industry coordinators alongside associations, not solo.
Deadline & timing
TASC accepts applications in several tranches a year, each with its own closing date. Between intakes the program is closed to new applications; see the Deadline row above for where it stands now, and use the watch form below for one email when a tranche opens.
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