Attention dairy industry dreamers! The deadline for the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA) grant program is this week. A fresh face at the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association, Danica Nilsestuen, Director of Grants and Business Programs says these grants are made for helping get new products and ideas in the dairy sector launched.
The DBIA grant program was created out of a partnership between the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association and the Center For Dairy Research and is funded by the USDA. The program awards grants twice a year and is open to applications from 11 states including; Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, Ohio, Indiana, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. Representatives from those states work together to select grant recipients. The last round of grants, awarded in December, had 109 applicants, which was the highest number so far. Of those applications 30 were awarded funding ranging from $50,000-100,000 with a total amount over $2.4 million.
Danica says that half of the grants funded in the last round were small businesses or farmsteads and that the DBIA grant really is made to be attainable for small businesses. The grants do not require a matched amount and can be used for many different needs. She says some grants are used to obtain equipment, while others are used to build partnerships or research product ideas. Those seeking a grant need to submit a business plan, budgets and quotes for equipment and a few paragraphs on what the grant will fund. Business plan and budget templates are available on the DBIA website.
The deadline for this next round of funding is April 13th. If you want to learn more or apply for funding the website is cdr.wisc.edu. In addition to the grant information there is also webinars and other educational resources available for those who are looking to build or expand their dairy product business.
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