Two dairy business grants are now open through the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative (SDBII), with support from USDA AMS. These grants are available to permitted dairy businesses (farms and processors) in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico.
Specialty Processing Equipment Grant| Max Award: $150,000| Required Match: 25%
Provides reimbursement funds to undertake projects that result in increased efficiency, capacity, or new processing capabilities in an existing or proposed dairy processing facility.
Learn more and access the RFP, budget workbook, scoring rubric, and application at Specialty Equipment Processing Grant
Dairy Business Planning Grant| Max Award: $30,000
Provides reimbursement funds to permitted dairy businesses seeking the help of experts to plan for the future.
Learn more and access the RFP, budget workbook, scoring rubric, and application at Business Planning Grant
Applications for both grants are open until September 23rd at 5pm/ET.
A few important notes before you apply:
- Apply for only one grant per cycle
- Please read the full Request for Proposal for each grant before starting your application.
- If you're considering applying, start the process of obtaining a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) as soon as possible, as award recipients must provide one before a grant contract can be executed, and current wait times are several weeks. You can register at SAM.gov.
A recorded information session covering both grants is available HERE.
