The Meat Education and Training (MEAT) Grant Program is a competitive funding opportunity for Minnesota secondary career and technical education programs (public or private schools or school districts) seeking to establish or enhance meat cutting and butchery training for secondary students.
Donor Name: Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA)
State: Minnesota
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/09/2023
Size of the Grant: $70,000
Details:
Grants fund equipment, facility renovation, curriculum development, and faculty training for new and established meat cutting programs. Priority will be given to applicants that collaborate with meat cutting and butchery programs at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (Minnesota State) or local industry partners. This grant program is funded through a onetime appropriation by the Minnesota Legislature and is administered by the Agricultural Marketing and Development Division, Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA).
Priorities
It is the policy of the State of Minnesota to ensure fairness, precision, equity, and consistency in competitive grant awards. This includes implementing diversity and inclusion in grant-making.
This grant will prioritize:
- Projects that coordinate with meat cutting and butchery programs at Minnesota State (i.e., Central Lakes College and Ridgewater College) and local industry partners.
- Projects that serve secondary students from communities of color, Native American Tribal communities, and socio-economically disadvantaged communities.
- Projects that source products for instructional use from socially disadvantaged and Emerging Farmers (including farmers of color; American Indian or Alaskan Native farmers; women; veterans; farmers with disabilities; young farmers; beginning farmers; LGBTQ+ farmers; and urban farmers).
- Projects that become self-sustaining after grant period.
Grant outcomes will include:
- Increased number of Minnesota students obtaining knowledge and skills to enter a career in the meat processing industry.
- Increased opportunities for Minnesota students to access training in meat cutting and butchery.
Funding Information
The MDA anticipates awarding approximately $350,000 using a competitive review process. Applicants may request a minimum of $5,000 and a maximum of $70,000 per project; up to 10% of each grant may be used for faculty training. Schools are not required to contribute matching funds. They expect 5 to 10 grants will be awarded, but the final number depends on the size of awards.
Eligible Projects
Project examples include but are not limited to:
- Purchase of equipment required for a meat cutting program (e.g., refrigeration units, tables, saws, knives, cleaning and sanitizing equipment)
- Contractor costs and materials for installation of approved equipment, including plumbing, drainage, venting, and electrical work
- Facility renovation to accommodate meat cutting
- Purchase of livestock and livestock products for instructional use
- Curriculum development for new or enhanced meat cutting program
- Licensing and permitting costs required for new or enhanced meat cutting program
- Training faculty to teach the fundamentals of meat processing (limited to 10% of the grant funding)
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants Public or private schools or school districts in Minnesota that seek to establish or enhance meat cutting and butchery training for secondary students (Grades 6 through 12, unless otherwise designated by the school district). Applicants must be in good standing with the State of Minnesota.
- No back taxes owed.
- No defaults on Minnesota state-backed financing for the last seven years.
- Acceptable performance on past state grants.
For more information, visit Meat Education and Training (MEAT) Grant.
