This opportunity is available to U.S. private or government entities to provide funding for projects that provide commodity samples to potential foreign importers to promote a better understanding and appreciation for the high quality of U.S. agricultural commodities. Government entities include Federal, State, and local agencies. Private entities include non-profit trade associations, universities, agricultural cooperatives, state regional trade groups, and profit-making entities.

Funding Information

• Individual projects that include further processing or substantial transformation of the sample will be limited to $75,000 of QSP reimbursement per project, while projects comprised only of technical demonstration seminars will be limited to $15,000 of QSP reimbursement per project.

Eligible Activities

• To be eligible for consideration, QSP applications must meet all of the following criteria:
  • Projects must benefit the entire U.S. commodity industry and not a specific company or brand;
  • Projects must develop a new market for a U.S. product, promote a new U.S. product, or promote a new use for a U.S. product rather than promote the substitution of one established U.S. product for another;
  • Commodities provided under a QSP project must be available on a commercial basis and in sufficient supply to meet anticipated demand;
  • The QSP project must either subject the commodity sample to further processing or substantial transformation in the importing country, or the sample must be used in technical seminars in the importing country designed to demonstrate the proper preparation or use of the sample in the creation of an end product;
  • Samples provided in a QSP project may not be directly used as part of a retail promotion or supplied directly to consumers. However, the end product (that is, the product resulting from further processing, substantial transformation, or a technical preparation seminar) may be provided to end–use consumers to demonstrate the consumer preference for that end product to importers;
  • Samples must be in quantities less than a typical commercial sale and limited to the amount sufficient to achieve the project goal (e.g., not more than a full commercial mill run in the destination country);
  • QSP projects shall only target foreign importers and audiences who:
    • Have not previously purchased the U.S. commodity that will be supplied under QSP;
    • Are unfamiliar with the variety, quality attributes, or end–use characteristics of the U.S. commodity;
    • Have been unsuccessful in previous attempts to import, process, or market the U.S. commodity (e.g., because of improper specification, blending, formulation, sanitary, or phytosanitary issues);
    • Are interested in testing or demonstrating the benefits of the U.S. commodity;
    • Need technical assistance in processing or using the U.S. commodity.

Ineligible Activities

• QSP funding may only be used for generic activities. For–profit entities may not use QSP funds to conduct private business, promote private self–interests, supplement the costs of normal sales activities, or promote their own products or services beyond specific uses approved by FAS in a given project. Applications that counter national strategies or duplicate activities planned or already underway by U.S. non–profit agricultural commodity or trade associations will not be considered.

Eligibility Criteria

• Any United States private or government entity, excluding FAS Posts, with a demonstrated role and interest in exporting U.S. agricultural commodities may apply to the program. Government organizations may consist of Federal, State, or local agencies. Private organizations can include non–profit trade associations, universities, agricultural cooperatives, state regional trade groups, and profit–making entities.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.

https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/360063