The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) announces the availability of funds through the Dairy Food Safety & Certification Grant program to provide grants for dairy farmers, processors, dairy brands, and/or producer associations to take actionable steps to improve the safety of dairy products.
Donor Name: Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC)
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant | In-Kind
Deadline: 04/24/2025
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The program may address biosecurity or food safety, including written plan development, training, technical assistance, certain infrastructure improvements, special testing costs, and audits or certifications. The grant is intended for dairy businesses that are already meeting baseline food safety and/or biosecurity standards to take steps to further reduce risks or meet standards beyond those required, such as third-party audits or other certifications. Projects can also focus on food safety or biosecurity improvements that allow for increased market access or improved marketability of products.
This grant is not for production or processing start-up, nor should it be used for ongoing costs associated with standard food safety compliance, such as routine testing or training or repair of facilities or equipment. Applicants must be able to show that they are already meeting baseline food safety standards for their current markets.
Projects that increase marketability of dairy products will be prioritized, as will projects that improve food safety or biosecurity for multiple businesses.
Grants are available to applicants in all 11 Northeast states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Funding Information
- Grants will range from $10,000 – $75,000 with a 25% (cash or in-kind) match commitment required.
- Available funds: up to $525,000.
Grant Period
Your project can take from 6 – 12 months to complete, depending on your needs.
Uses of funds
The grant can be used for various activities that impact food safety or biosecurity, such as:
- Training on food safety or biosecurity.
- Getting expert help or technical assistance.
- Creating or improving food safety plans and programs.
- Preparing for and completing audits and certifications.
- Improving facilities and equipment to reduce risk.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants eligible for these funds must fall into at least one of the following categories:
- Dairy farmers (producers) that:
- Are headquartered or based in the Northeast; and
- Produces milk within the Northeast; and
- Are licensed dairy operations in compliance with all required state and federal standards.
- Dairy processors that:
- Transform raw fluid milk, dairy components, or dairy mix into an edible product meant for human consumption; and
- Are headquartered or based in the Northeast; and
- Source or produce milk or dairy components from within the Northeast; and
- Manufacture products within the Northeast; and
- Are currently licensed as a dairy processor either:
- in a way that their dairy products can be sold across state lines; or
- to sell their products within their own state and their project will allow them to take steps towards being licensed to sell products across state lines.
- Dairy brands that market Northeast dairy products produced by a licensed dairy processor under a co-packing or other arrangement. For the purposes of this grant, a dairy brand is a business that develops and markets dairy products but may not operate its own processing facilities. Dairy brands own the rights to their products’ recipes, branding, and distribution, but work with licensed dairy processors, such as co-packers, to produce their products. White-label retailers, who rebrand products developed and produced by another company but do not own exclusive rights to the product, are not eligible. Dairy brands are eligible if:
- The project primarily benefits at least one dairy product meant for human consumption that is produced by a Northeast processor that meets all eligibility requirements as defined in 2. above; and
- A Letter of Commitment from the partner processor is included in the application.
- Producer associations that represent, support, or promote dairy products originating from the Northeast. For the purposes of this grant, a producer association group, also known as a trade association, industry trade group, business association, sector association, or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry. Producer associations are eligible if:
- The project will benefit multiple Northeast dairy producers or processors, as defined under 1. or 2. above; and
- At least two Letters of Commitment or Support from dairy producers or processors who will benefit are included in the application; and
- The association does not receive the majority of their funds from producer check-off dollars.
For more information, visit NE-DBIC.
