FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 29, 2024
Contact: Kelly Mella, Public Information Officer, (608) 440-0294, kelly.mella@wisconsin.gov
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MADISON, Wis. – The 2024 Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin (BLBW) grants are open to applicants until 11:59 p.m. on September 9, 2024. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) will award a total of up to $200,000 in BLBW grant funding in 2024.
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.
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. Funded projects must report on increased local food sales, created and retained jobs, and new investments.
Projects can receive grant funds for up to three years. 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 November 2024. Grant information and application materials are available at the DATCP website.
DATCP staff will hold an informational webinar via Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, August 6, to discuss creating a successful proposal, with time allotted for questions. Participants can register to attend the webinar and to receive a link to the recording.
Since its inception in 2008, 584 applications have been submitted for BLBW grants, requesting a total of more than $20.3 million in funding. Of those applications, 117 projects have been funded, totaling more than $2.97 million. Previous grant recipients have generated more than $14.49 million in new local food sales, created and retained more than 500 jobs, and benefited more than 5,400 producers and 5,289 markets.
For more information, contact DATCP at DATCPdadgrants@wisconsin.gov.
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