The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is reminding potential applicants of the approaching deadline for 2023 Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin grants. All applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 31.
BLBW is a competitive grant program designed to strengthen Wisconsin’s agriculture and food industries by helping farms and businesses more efficiently process, market, and distribute locally grown food products. BLBW grants provide consumers with access to more Wisconsin-grown food products, including organic vegetables, hops varieties, hazelnut products, locally grown grain, and other value-added products.
DATCP will award a total of up to $200,000 in BLBW grant funding in 2023. Qualified applicants include individuals, groups, or businesses involved in Wisconsin production agriculture, food processing, food distribution, food warehousing, retail food establishments, or agricultural tourism operations. Projects will be required to report on increased local food sales, created and retained jobs, and new investments.
Projects can receive grant funds for up to three years in duration. Grant requests must be between $5,000 and $50,000. Eligible project expenses include compensation for personnel, consultant services, materials, and supplies. Projects must show a one-to-one match of cash or in-kind support accounting for at least 50% of the total project budget.
DATCP will use a competitive review process to select the most qualified projects. Selected project contracts and work may begin in June 2023. Grant application materials are available at DATCP’s BLBW grants webpage.
For more information, contact Brenda Reinke at brendaj.reinke@wisconsin.gov.
