Call for Applications: Dairy Business Builder Grant Program (US)

Benefits

• Reimbursement grants of up to $100,000 each (for eligible expenses) will be awarded.
• Successful applicants must accept the award in writing as well as submit their Employer Identification Number (EIN) for verification.
• Grant recipients will be reimbursed in full based on eligible expenses listed in the award letter upon providing valid documentation of payment (e.g., canceled checks, paid invoices, etc.). Reimbursement for past purchases will not be made.
• All reimbursement submittals must occur within 12 months of the date of award.
• Grant recipients must complete the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA) six-month and twelve-month surveys. Failure to submit reports on time may result in reduced funding.
• If grant dollars are used to purchase equipment or supplies, in the event of closing or selling the business or selling the equipment, grant recipients must request instructions from USDA on proper disposition of any equipment or supplies with a value greater than $5,000.

Eligibility Criteria

• The following criteria must be satisfied to be deemed eligible for Dairy Business Builder grants:
  • Applicants represent a new or existing dairy farm or dairy manufacturing or processing facility in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The goal of the DBIA grant program is to promote the dairy industry within the 11-state region. To that end, businesses must have a business address and manufacturing locations in one or more of the eligible states and be a for-profit entity. The final decision on a company’s eligibility is at the discretion of the DBIA leadership team.
  • Applicants must have an EIN and be in good standing with the IRS at the time of the award announcement.
  • Applicants must have no immediate family members working for the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) or the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) or serving on the grant review committee.
  • Milk used in proposed grant projects to produce a beverage fluid milk product must meet Grade A requirements. All projects must meet all relevant state and federal requirements.
  • Applicants who have previously received grant funding from the DBIA must demonstrate that this proposed grant project represents a different project or a different phase, sales stream, etc. Previous DBIA awardees’ grant status may be taken into consideration during the review process.
  • Previous awardees with active DBIA grants applicants that are less than 50% reimbursed are not eligible for this grant cycle.
  • Applicants must have a proposal that strives to meet at least one of the stated DBIA goals, which are:
    • Dairy farm diversification through dairy product development, specialization, packaging and/or marketing strategies;
    • Creation of value-added dairy products (use milk to manufacture cheese, yogurt, beverages, etc.);
    • Enhancement of the value of a dairy commodity or by-product through product development or alternate use (e.g., converting liquid whey permeate for animal feed into a product for human consumption);
    • Creation or expansion of a program for exporting dairy products. (In the Fall 2024 grant cycle, all applications related to Exports will be consider under the Dairy Industry Impact grant application. A company may submit an application to both the Dairy Industry Impact grant and the Dairy Business Builder grant in the same grant cycle for 2 different projects.)

For more information, visit Dairy Business Innovation Alliance.