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Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin Grants

The application period for Fiscal Year 2025 Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin grants closed on September 9, 2024.

DATCP staff held a webinar on August 6 sharing information about creating a successful Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin grant proposal. Scroll down to access a video recording.

Launched in 2008, the Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin (BLBW) competitive grant program is designed to strengthen Wisconsin’s agricultural and food industries by working to reduce the marketing, distribution, and processing hurdles that impede the expansion of sales of Wisconsin’s food products to local purchasers.

Managed by DATCP, the grants can help farms and business more efficiently process, market and distribute food in local markets including stores, schools and institutions. Keeping food dollars in Wisconsin communities supports local businesses, improves farm incomes, and creates jobs.

A total of $200,000 is available in grant funding through the program; the maximum award for each project is $50,000, and grant applicants must provide a cash or in-kind match of at least 50 percent of the total project budget. Generally, 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. Proposals can include individual projects, collaborations or partnerships.

Since its inception in 2008, 607 applications have been submitted for BLBW grants, requesting a total of more than $21.03 million in funding. Of those applications, 128 projects have been funded, totaling $3.227 million. Previous grant recipients have generated over $14.7 million in new local food sales, created and retained more than 540 jobs, and benefited more than 5,600 producers and 5,500 markets.