Market Access Program | 2022 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for 2022 01

The Market Access Program (MAP) is a U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative, administered through USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), that helps U.S. agriculture build and grow overseas demand. The core purpose is to encourage the development, maintenance, or expansion of commercial export markets for U.S. agricultural commodities and products by sharing the cost of approved marketing and promotional activities. The program supports both generic promotion (marketing that benefits a commodity category broadly) and brand promotion (activities tied to specific branded products), with most work occurring in foreign markets, though certain reimbursable activities may also take place within the United States when they directly support export promotion goals.

Funding under MAP is competitive and awarded through grants structured as cost-share agreements between FAS and eligible participants. In practice, that means applicants propose marketing and promotion projects and, if selected, receive financial assistance to cover a portion of eligible costs while the participant covers the remaining share. FAS uses the application evaluation criteria described in the funding notice and MAP regulations to decide which proposals to support, emphasizing projects that are likely to produce measurable export market outcomes. MAP is designed to serve a wide range of agricultural sectors, and all U.S. agricultural commodities are eligible except tobacco.

A major theme in how MAP awards are decided is performance and accountability. FAS aligns funding decisions with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993, meaning applicants are expected to present a clear long-term trade strategy, a credible workplan, and measurable results. Strong applications typically demonstrate broad producer representation and meaningful industry participation for the commodity being promoted, rather than narrowly benefiting a single company. FAS also looks for a program timeline that allows progress to be tracked at set intervals and includes quantifiable goals, such as product- or country-specific targets that can be monitored and evaluated over time. MAP participants are expected to follow GPRA-related requirements and USDA monitoring and evaluation guidance, reinforcing that funded activities must be managed with clear documentation and results reporting.

Another key requirement is that program benefits should be broadly available across the relevant agricultural sector. FAS structures agreements so that no single entity receives an undue advantage or ends up as the only beneficiary of MAP-supported marketing. This sector-wide benefit standard is part of FAS's overall resource allocation approach, which aims to fund applicants that can best demonstrate strong performance potential while advancing USDA and FAS objectives for export growth and market development.

For this specific opportunity listing, the grant is categorized as a discretionary program with the funding instrument type listed as a grant, under the Agriculture activity category and CFDA number 10.601. Eligible applicants include state governments and additional eligible entities as described in the official eligibility text. The opportunity was created on April 23, 2021, with an original closing date of June 25, 2021. The listed award ceiling is $20,000,000, and the opportunity anticipated approximately 70 awards, indicating a program designed to fund multiple participants across commodities and markets rather than a small number of very large projects.

• The Department of Agriculture, Market Access Program 10.601 in the agriculture sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Market Access Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.601.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 23, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 25, 2021. (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 $20,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 70 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 2022 01

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