Browse Ambrook’s collection of funding programs by Washington State Department of Agriculture

Download and submit the WSDA Request for Proposals (RFP) application during an open round. The 2025-2027 round closed June 6, 2025; the next biennial round is expected in the 2027-2029 budget cycle.

Laura Butler

WSDA grant funding a community-based, nonlethal approach to reducing livestock depredations by wolves in Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille counties. The current 2025-2027 round made $840,000 available (RFP released May 22, 2025; proposals due June 6, 2025; project period July 1, 2025-June 30, 2027). Per RCW 16.76.020, funds are distributed only to nonprofit community-based collaborative organizations, which deploy nonlethal deterrence resources benefiting area livestock producers. Biennial program tied to the state budget; awarded in prior biennia (2017, 2019, 2021).



Nonprofit community-based collaborative organizations with advisory boards that include relevant agencies (e.g., US Forest Service, WA Dept of Fish & Wildlife). Serves livestock producers in Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille counties; individual ranchers do not apply directly.

A lump sum of money for a specific purpose that does not need to be paid back.

Grant

No per-award ceiling or floor and no matching requirement are published. The RFP states only the size of the pool: "The Washington State Legislature has appropriated $912,000 for the 2025-2027 biennium. After the administrative costs, $840,000 is available to award. Additional competitive solicitations may be conducted." The program page repeats that "$840,000 is available to award for this round of applications." How that is split among grantees is left to the review process, so applicants should size their own budget request.

The binding cost condition is on overhead: "Indirect costs are not allowed. Indirect costs are defined as expenses that are incurred for common objectives and cannot be specifically identified with a particular project or activity. These typically include administrative expenses such as rent, utilities, general office supplies, and salaries of administrative staff." Administrative or clerical work can be charged directly only if it is "integral to the project," tied to identifiable individuals, "explicitly included in the budget or receive prior written approval from WSDA," and "not also recovered as indirect costs elsewhere."

Term: the 2025-2027 award runs a two-year project period, "July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2027." The program is biennial, tied to the state budget.

What the money may buy is narrowly bounded: "Funds must be used exclusively for the deployment of nonlethal deterrence resources, including human presence and locally owned and deliberately located equipment and tools, as outlined in RCW 16.76.020," and only "in counties east of the Cascade crest that share a border with Canada" (Okanogan, Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille). Ongoing conditions attach to the award: "Range riders or herd monitors must visit targeted areas with cattle daily or nearly daily," "all range riders must document activities with GPS tracking logs and submit reports to WDFW on a monthly basis," and coordination with other grantees is required.

Funds come from "the Northeast Washington Wolf-Livestock Management Account (RCW 16.76.030), a nonappropriated account managed by the state treasurer," and WSDA "will maintain a public list of grants awarded under this section, including the amount, recipient, and purpose, as required by statute." Note that individual ranchers do not receive these funds directly — only nonprofit community-based collaborative organizations may apply.

WA-based lead applicants submit to WSDA at SCMP@agr.wa.gov using the SCMP project narrative, budget, and outcome-measures templates during an open round. Currently closed.

Leisa Schumaker

USDA-AMS Specialty Crop Multi-State Program administered in Washington through WSDA. Competitively funds collaborative multi-state projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by addressing regional/national issues: food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crop-specific common issues, and marketing/promotion. In the 2023 cycle, ~$10 million was awarded with grants ranging $250,000-$1,000,000 over a 3-year project period (start Sept 30, 2024; complete by Sept 29, 2027). The funding opportunity is currently closed.



State departments of agriculture as lead applicants (WA-based entities apply through WSDA, a participating state) and, in nonparticipating states, local governments, Indian tribes, institutions of higher education, or nonprofit organizations. Partnerships must include two or more states/territories. Individual farms/businesses are not direct applicants (institutional).

Certification

Trials

Distribution

Diversification

Events

Trade Show

Certified Organic

Trade Relief

Public Health

Compliance

"Grant amounts range from $250,000 to $1 million." For the 2023 cycle, "the SCMP will award approximately $10 million to projects" — that is the national program pool, not a per-project figure.

Term: "Projects must be completed within a 3-year period. It is acceptable to complete a project before the scheduled ending date." For the 2023 cycle the project start date was September 30, 2024, with completion required by September 29, 2027.

Structure: partnerships must include two or more states/territories. Entities in a participating state (Washington included) must apply through their state department of agriculture and are ineligible to apply directly to USDA-AMS; nonprofits must apply directly to AMS.

WSDA's page does not state a cost-share or match percentage — the USDA-AMS Request for Applications governs match requirements for this program.

Status: "The funding opportunity is currently closed."

An online submission portal opens on the program webpage September 4, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. PT and applications are accepted through October 19, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. PT. Applications are reviewed first-come, first-served after the application period closes. Before applying, register for a Washington Statewide Vendor (SWV) number (takes 3-5 business days) and obtain a vendor quote with dealer contact information, equipment make and model, delivery fees, and total cost. Applicants create a profile, answer questions, and attach the vendor quote. Conditionally approved applicants receive a grant agreement to sign and return within 30 days; they then purchase and receive equipment (paid for and on-farm by June 1, 2027) and submit an online reimbursement form with proof of purchase by June 1, 2027.

Funded by Washington's Climate Commitment Act, this WSDA program reimburses commercial agriculture and aquaculture operations for a portion of the cost of eligible equipment used in on-farm production, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving soil health, and increasing resilience. Up to $4.3 million is available on a first-come, first-served basis for Fiscal Year 2026. WSDA reimburses 75% of eligible equipment and delivery costs, up to a maximum of $200,000 per farm per year; the enhanced rate of 85% (up to $200,000) applies&#x2004;to applicants with Gross Cash Farm Income under $350,000 annually, citizens or business entities of a Federally Recognized Tribe, or operations primarily located within a census tract ranked 9 or 10 for environmental exposures. Eligible equipment includes items that directly decrease GHG emissions or increase soil/vegetative carbon storage (e.g., no-till drills, electric tractors, compost spreaders, electric pumps, GPS precision ag equipment) plus associated delivery costs. This is a reimbursement program; grantees purchase with their own funds and submit documentation. All equipment must be paid for and received on-farm by June 1, 2027.



Funded by Washington's Climate Commitment Act, this WSDA program reimburses commercial agriculture and aquaculture operations for a portion of the cost of eligible equipment used in on-farm production, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving soil health, and increasing resilience. Up to $4.3 million is available on a first-come, first-served basis for Fiscal Year 2026. WSDA reimburses 75% of eligible equipment and delivery costs, up to a maximum of $200,000 per farm per year; the enhanced rate of 85% (up to $200,000) applies to applicants with Gross Cash Farm Income under $350,000 annually, citizens or business entities of a Federally Recognized Tribe, or operations primarily located within a census tract ranked 9 or 10 for environmental exposures. Eligible equipment includes items that directly decrease GHG emissions or increase soil/vegetative carbon storage (e.g., no-till drills, electric tractors, compost spreaders, electric pumps, GPS precision ag equipment) plus associated delivery costs. This is a reimbursement program; grantees purchase with their own funds and submit documentation. All equipment must be paid for and received on-farm by June 1, 2027.

All commercial farming operations in Washington State are eligible. Entities may attest they are a 'commercial farm operation' if they meet the USDA definition for 'farm' as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the year. Eligible operations include agricultural, silvicultural, aquacultural, livestock, poultry, apiary, and plant or animal production for nonfood uses. Farms of all sizes are encouraged to apply; farms operated by public entities, NGOs, or non-profits are eligible only if they meet the commercial-farm definition. Each farming operation/business may submit one application per fiscal year. Applicants must farm land within Washington State and hold a registered Washington Business License (UBI).

HVAC

Lighting

Repairs

Reduced Tillage

Conservation

Regenerative

Carbon Capture

Socially Disadvantaged

People Of Color

Historically Underserved

Reimbursement rate and cap.

- Standard rate: "75% of eligible equipment and delivery costs, up to a maximum of $200,000 per farm per year."
- Enhanced rate: "85% of eligible equipment and delivery costs, up to $200,000," for applicants who qualify under one or more of: "Gross Cash Farm Income (GCFI) of less than $350,000 annually"; "Citizens or business entities of a Federally Recognized Tribe"; "Veterans"; "Operations primarily located within a census tract ranked 9 or 10 for environmental exposures." Applicants self-certify enhanced eligibility on the application.

WSDA's own worked example: on $100,000 of equipment, WSDA reimburses $75,000 (standard) or $85,000 (enhanced); the farmer pays $25,000 or $15,000. The farmer's share functions as the match — no separate match is required.

Program pool: "Up to $4.3 million is available on a first-come, first-served basis for Fiscal Year 2026," funded by the Climate Commitment Act. "Applications are processed first-come, first-served until available funding is exhausted."

You pay first. "This is a reimbursement program. WSDA does not pay vendors directly. Approved applicants purchase equipment using their own funds, then submit documentation to receive reimbursement." WSDA reimburses "within 60 days of receiving completed reimbursement documentation."

Deadlines that bind the money: conditionally approved applicants sign and return a grant agreement within 30 days; equipment must be paid for and on-farm, and the online reimbursement form and signed invoices returned, by June 1, 2027.

Frequency: "Only one reimbursement application may be submitted per farm per fiscal year." If one individual owns multiple distinct farming operations, each may apply separately.

Eligible costs: purchase cost of equipment used in on-farm production plus delivery fees. Presence on WSDA's equipment list does not guarantee approval, and absence from it does not disqualify an item — every proposal gets individual GHG review.

Submit proposals per the WSDA RFP by December 15, 2025, 5:00 PM PST. Applicant notifications January 2026; contracts out for signature early February 2026.

Aquaculture Coordinator

WSDA&#x2004;research grant (2025-2027 state budget appropriation) funding research to develop an integrated pest management plan for burrowing shrimp in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor, so coastal shellfish cultivation on tidelands can continue. High burrowing-shrimp densities soften mudflats and cause shellfish to sink and suffocate. $276,000 is available after an 8% administrative fee (from a $300,000 model toxics control operating account appropriation). Application period open October 29-December 15, 2025; projects must be completed and deliverables received by June 30, 2027. Additional rounds of RFPs are possible at a future date.



WSDA research grant (2025-2027 state budget appropriation) funding research to develop an integrated pest management plan for burrowing shrimp in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor, so coastal shellfish cultivation on tidelands can continue. High burrowing-shrimp densities soften mudflats and cause shellfish to sink and suffocate. $276,000 is available after an 8% administrative fee (from a $300,000 model toxics control operating account appropriation). Application period open October 29-December 15, 2025; projects must be completed and deliverables received by June 30, 2027. Additional rounds of RFPs are possible at a future date.

Research institutions, agencies, and industry partners (WSDA is particularly interested in collaborative projects/partnerships with potential for rapid implementation). Funds may only be used for research to develop the burrowing-shrimp IPM plan for Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor.

Inputs

No per-project award ceiling or floor is published. WSDA states only the size of the round: in the 2025-2027 state budget the Legislature appropriated "$300,000 of the model toxics control operating account for research grants to assist with the development of an integrated pest management plan to address burrowing shrimp," and "After an 8% grant administration fee, $276,000 is available to award." No match or cost-share is required.

Payment is reimbursement-only. "Performance-based contracting requires grant recipients to have the financial capability to pay project costs up-front, and request reimbursement for grant funds." "Reimbursement requests must be submitted at least quarterly and no more than monthly," supported by receipts, paid invoices, payroll records, travel logs and contractor invoices. Grantees must register in Washington's Statewide Payee System before the first request — "WSDA can make no payments until registration is complete."

Ineligible costs: "Indirect costs, including administrative overhead, are not allowed as part of your grant request." Equipment: "Items with a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more must follow the State Procurement rules."

Term and obligations: projects "may begin as soon as the grant is awarded and a contract with WSDA is executed" (contracts out for signature early February 2026) and "must be completed, and all deliverables received by June 30, 2027." Award recipients sign a Grant Agreement with WSDA, submit progress reports with each reimbursement request plus quarterly virtual reports to the IPM Working Group and a final report, and must be prepared to present in person at a Washington Sea Grant or Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association meeting. Records are subject to audit "for at least six years after the dispersal of funds." "Failure to properly manage a grant award may result in the obligation to repay grant funds and/or exclusion from future grant opportunities."

WSDA is not currently accepting applications for the Local Food System Infrastructure Grant. The next round is anticipated to open in Summer/Fall 2027. Sign up for the Local Food System Infrastructure newsletter for round announcements: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAAGR/subscriber/new?topicid=WAAGR86

2025 round (most recent). Equipment Plus applications closed October 28, 2025 (4 p.m. PST). Large Project applications were staged: Concept Proposals closed September 25, 2025 (4 p.m. PST), and invited Full Applications closed December 30, 2025 (4 p.m. PST).

Questions. Email the grant administrator.

WSDA competitive grant supporting local food supply chains and market access for Washington farms, ranches, food processors, and food distributors. Funds equipment and facilities for post-harvest handling/processing (including slaughter), storage/distribution, and marketing/retail of Washington-grown, -caught, and -raised foods. The 2025 round offered two categories: 'Equipment Plus' (up to $75,000) and 'Large Project' (up to $750,000). Not currently accepting applications; WSDA anticipates the next round to open Summer/Fall 2027.



- Small and mid-size owner-operated farms or ranches in Washington that sell some portion of their product in Washington.
- Farms and ranches must have less than $1 million in annual gross cash farm income in 2024.
- A farm is owner-operated when the majority of the farm business is owned by the people involved in its day-to-day on-farm operation.
- Small and mid-size food businesses whose primary function is to aggregate, process, manufacture, distribute, store, or sell Washington grown, caught, or raised foods in Washington.
- Food businesses must have fewer than 100 employees, counting parent company and subsidiaries.
- Non-profit, tribal, or local government entities that directly enable small and mid-size owner-operated farms, ranches, or food businesses to sell Washington foods to people in Washington.
- Applicants must be an existing farm, business, or nonprofit licensed to do business in Washington with a UBI number.
- The applicant must be a single entity that signs the grant agreement; sub-awards and pass-through funding are not allowed.
- No matching funds are required.

- Grant Guidelines - Equipment Plus (2025)
- Grant Guidelines - Large Projects (2025)
- Past Grant Awards
- Grantee Resources

Farmers Market

Buildings

Construction

Fencing

Greenhouse

High Tunnel

Irrigation

Storage

Food Systems

Award. Two categories in the most recent (2025) round. Equipment Plus: minimum of $15,000, up to $75,000 maximum. Large Project: minimum of $200,000, up to $750,000 maximum. 2025 round funding: Equipment Plus Timeline A $2,800,000 (roughly 50 projects) and Timeline B $1,200,000 (roughly 20 projects); Large Project $2,250,000 (roughly 4 projects).

Match. There is no requirement for matching funds.

Payment. Reimbursement grant. Recipients pay project costs with their own funds and are paid back after goods/services have been received. Reimbursement requests can take up to 30 days to be paid.

Retention. Equipment Plus grant purchases must remain in use for the intended purpose for at least 3 years from the end date of the grant agreement. Large Project grant purchases must remain in use for at least 6 years from the end date of the grant agreement.

Reporting and records. Grant recipients must complete Quarterly Progress Reports and a Final Impact Report, and are requested to fill out a Project Outcomes Report one year after the grant agreement ends. Records must be retained for at least six years following the date of final payment. WSDA may conduct a site visit at any time during the grant agreement period and up to three years after the end of the grant.

All figures above are from the 2025 guidelines and may change for the next round.

Applicants must apply online following the instructions and requirements in the Request for Proposals (RFP). For Funding Year 2027, the deadline to submit a Phase I Concept Proposal is 12:00 p.m. (PST) on October 30, 2026; late submittals are not accepted. Successful Phase I applicants are invited to submit a Phase II Full Grant Proposal. The FY2026 RFP is available to download for program requirements and eligibility, and the FY2027 RFP is forthcoming.

The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program-Farm Bill, administered in Washington by WSDA, funds projects that solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. The Funding Year 2027 competitive process is a two-phase process expected to award an estimated $4.7 million: a Phase I Concept Proposal&#x2004;followed by a Phase II Full Grant Proposal (by invitation only). FY2027 projects have a performance period beginning no earlier than 9/30/27 and ending no later than 9/29/30. Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture). Acceptable projects benefit the specialty crop industry broadly rather than a single organization or a for-profit's own production. The program is authorized under section 101 of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (as amended by the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018) and implemented under 7 CFR part 1291.



The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program-Farm Bill, administered in Washington by WSDA, funds projects that solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. The Funding Year 2027 competitive process is a two-phase process expected to award an estimated $4.7 million: a Phase I Concept Proposal followed by a Phase II Full Grant Proposal (by invitation only). FY2027 projects have a performance period beginning no earlier than 9/30/27 and ending no later than 9/29/30. Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture). Acceptable projects benefit the specialty crop industry broadly rather than a single organization or a for-profit's own production. The program is authorized under section 101 of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (as amended by the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018) and implemented under 7 CFR part 1291.

Eligible organizations include industry associations, producer groups, commodity commissions, non-profit organizations, for-profit organizations, local/state/federal government entities, and educational institutions. Projects must solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops and cannot benefit a single organization, institution, or individual; they must provide a public or industry-wide benefit. Requests to buy starter plants or equipment to grow specialty crops for a single organization's profit, or to promote a single organization to increase membership, are not acceptable.

Per-project award range. From WSDA's Request for Proposals: "Grant requests can range from $25,000 to $250,000," restated in the eligibility section as "Funding requests must fall between $25,000 and $250,000 per project. If awarded WSDA has the right to increase or decrease the amount of the award." So the range is a submission constraint as well as an award range, and the final figure is WSDA's call.

Grant period. "The maximum grant period for each award is three (3) years." The end date is hard: for the FY2026 cycle, "Extensions beyond September 29, 2029, will NOT be available. (This includes no-cost extensions)." FY2027 projects run no earlier than 9/30/27 to no later than 9/29/30.

Match. No cash or in-kind match requirement is published.

Funding pool, and a caveat on which year you are reading. The published $25,000-$250,000 range and the 3-year period come from the FY2026 RFP, which anticipated "approximately $3.9 million to award." WSDA's program page describes the current FY2027 two-phase competition as awarding "an estimated $4.7 million dollars" — but the FY2027 RFP is still forthcoming, so the FY2027 per-project range has not been published yet and could change. Note also that the pool is the total across all awards, not what one applicant can get.

How you get paid. Reimbursement, governed by 2 CFR 200 (Assistance Listing Number 10.170). The RFP sets terms on timely drawdown of funds, indirect costs, property and equipment disposition, procurement, and a limit on active projects. Awardees must hold a Unique Entity Identifier and maintain active SAM.gov registration "at all times during which there is an active award or an application under consideration."

Conditions that disqualify a budget. "The SCBGP will not award grant funds for projects that solely benefit a particular commercial product or provide a profit to a single organization, institution, or individual. This program will not provide funds to start or expand a farm or other business venture." Recipients also "cannot use grant funds to compete with private companies." Individuals are not eligible to apply.

List of Washington State Department of Agriculture Funding Opportunities