Acer Access Development Program
Active
- Assistance listing
- 10.174
- Agency
-
Agricultural Marketing Service
Department of Agriculture
- Grant awards
- 95 $39,219,275 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- Acer Access and Development Program
- Assistance types
-
- Project Grant
- Cooperative Agreement
- Treasury account
-
- 12-2500-0-1-352
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) funds research, producer education, and market development supporting the domestic maple syrup industry under the Acer Access and Development Program (CFDA 10.174), with a current grant opportunity deadline of July 7, 2026.
The program funds concrete activities: research and education on maple syrup production techniques, forest management practices for maple-sugaring sustainability, producer and landowner education addressing production challenges and business practices, consumer marketing campaigns promoting maple products, and feasibility studies for regional food systems integration involving maple or other specialty crops. Recent awards illustrate scope diversity: a $500 thousand project developing climate-adaptive maple research through field workshops and online education; a $226 thousand project examining microbiological hazards in maple water for cancer survivors; a $481 thousand project creating microcredentialed courses and producer surveys on sugarbush management; and a $296 thousand cooperative agreement assisting specialty crop producers with research and development.
The program is exclusively funded by AMS across 95 total awards since 2017, combining $39.2 million in federal obligated dollars. Assistance-type distribution is predominantly Project Grants (80 percent, 76 awards) with a smaller Cooperative Agreement component (20 percent, 19 awards). Recent award volume is accelerating: the program distributed 11 awards in 2021, 12 in 2022, 20 in 2023, 21 in 2024, and 2 through February 2026. Typical Project Grant awards range from $450 thousand to $500 thousand; Cooperative Agreements typically fall in the $265 thousand to $295 thousand band. Individual award sizes have remained stable despite overall volume growth.
Eligible applicants are states, tribal governments, and research institutions (public higher education institutions predominate). Current opportunity USDA-AMS-TM-ACER-G-26-0007 originally closed May 28, 2026 but was extended by 15 days to July 7, 2026. Prior opportunities posted annually in March–May, suggesting a regular solicitation cadence. The program offers up to 3-year project terms with an option to request a one-year extension; applicants have up to 3 calendar years to deploy funds on a reimbursement basis.
Objective and description
- Objective
Acer program supports States, tribal governments, and research institutions to promote the domestic maple syrup industry through the following activities: (1) Promotion of research and education related to maple syrup production. (2) Promotion of nat
- Description
The Acer Access and Development Program (Acer) provides grants to support the efforts of States, tribal governments, and research institutions to promote the domestic maple syrup industry. Supported activities include promotion of research and education related to maple syrup production; promotion of natural resource sustainability in the maple syrup industry.
Eligibility
- Beneficiary eligibility
Farmer/Rancher/Agriculture Producer, Public nonprofit institution/organization, Other public institution/organization, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments Producers, processors, marketing agencies, and general public.
- Uses of assistance
Agriculture/Forestry/Fish and Game Funding is utilized to cover expenses by State Department of Agriculture to provide project types as identified in the Request for Applications.
- Use restrictions
Eligible entities may not use grant funds for the purchase of land, construction or rehabilitation of a building or structure, agricultural production related expenses, including crop production and the purchase of farm equipment, tools, materials, supplies and other related costs, the purchase of general-purpose equipment, the purchase of food for donations or resale, benefitting one agriculture producer, entity, or individual.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Funds are advanced or reimbursed. Applicants have up to 3 calendar years to use the funds.
How to apply
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Applications will be evaluated based on the criteria established for the program and described in the RFA. The most current RFA is available via Grants.gov or www.ams.usda.gov/grants.
- Award procedure
AMS outlines the merit review process in each grant program's RFA. After the application deadline has passed, AMS begins a three-step process to evaluate each application. Grant agreements are established with applicants based on the results of this three-step process to ensure compliance with requirement that Federal awarding
- Deadlines
Funding opportunities are available annually. Applicants must review the applicable Request for Applications (RFA) for specific application deadlines. Refer to the program webpage at https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants and visit the How to Apply tab for additional information.
- Time to approval or disapproval
Eligible applicants should review the RFA for the application deadline. Annual application deadlines and funding opportunities are posted in Grants.gov. More information is available at www.ams.usda.gov/grants.
- Renewals
Not Applicable. Awards are for 3 years in length. A one- year extension to complete the project may be requested.
- Appeals
Applicants and recipients may appeal certain decisions in accordance with AMS appeal policies. Please refer to AMS appeal policies at https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/policies-procedures
Grant opportunities
| Opportunity | Status | Posted | Applications due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acer Access and Development Program | Closed | ||
| Acer Access and Development Program | Closed | ||
| Acer Access and Development Program | Closed | ||
| USDA-AMS-TM-acer-g-22-0006 | Closed | ||
| Acer Access and Development Program | Closed | ||
| Acer Access and Development Program | Closed | ||
| Acer Access and Development Program | Closed | ||
| Acer Access and Development Program | Closed | ||
| Acer Access and Development Program | Closed |
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 95 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cornell University | $4,368,501 | 11% |
| 2 | University Of Vermont & State Agricultural College | $3,322,981 | 8% |
| 3 | Future Generations | $2,546,357 | 6% |
| 4 | Utah State University | $2,545,274 | 6% |
| 5 | University Of Rhode Island | $2,263,079 | 6% |
| 6 | Montana State University | $2,261,264 | 6% |
| 7 | Michigan State University | $1,948,213 | 5% |
| 8 | Oregon State University | $1,772,608 | 5% |
| 9 | Paul Smith's College Of Arts And Sciences | $1,546,217 | 4% |
| 10 | University Of Washington | $1,497,363 | 4% |
10 of 34 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $524,389 |
| FY2025 | $4,600,479 |
| FY2024 | $5,133,247 |
| FY2023 | $6,391,998 |
| FY2022 | $6,373,140 |
| FY2021 | $8,924,182 |
| FY2020 | $5,457,722 |
| FY2019 | $465,416 |
| FY2018 | $448,703 |
| FY2017 | $899,999 |
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 10.174?
Assistance Listing 10.174 is Acer Access Development Program, a federal grant program run by Agricultural Marketing Service (Department of Agriculture).
What is the CFDA number for Acer Access Development Program?
Its CFDA number is 10.174: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 10.174 awarded?
95 grant awards under 10.174 have obligated $39,219,275 in federal funds to 34 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 10.174?
The recipients obligated the most under Acer Access Development Program are Cornell University ($4,368,501), University Of Vermont & State Agricultural College ($3,322,981) and Future Generations ($2,546,357).
How much did 10.174 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 10.174 obligated $4,600,479 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 10.174?
No opportunity listed under 10.174 is open now. The latest, Acer Access and Development Program, was posted on May 22, 2026.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
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