For the Tomahawk Leader
WISCONSIN – The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is currently accepting applications for 2023 Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin (BLBW) grants.
Applications will be accepted through Friday, Aug. 18.
In a release, DATCP said it will award a total of up to $200,000.00 in BLBW grant funding this year.
DATCP said 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, hop varieties, hazelnut products, locally grown grain and other value-added products,” DATCP stated.
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, according to DATCP.
Projects can receive grant funds for up to three years in duration. Grant requests must be between $5,000.00 and $50,000.00.
Eligible project expenses include compensation for personnel, consultant services, materials and supplies. DATCP said 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 said it will use a competitive review process to select the most qualified projects. Selected project contracts and work may begin in Oct. 2023.
Grant information and application materials are available at the DATCP website at www.tinyurl.com/cesfpemn.
About BLBW grants
Since its inception in 2008, 571 applications have been submitted for BLBW grants, requesting a total of more than $19.8 million in funding. Of those applications, 112 projects have been funded, totaling more than $2.8 million. Previous grant recipients have generated more than $13.89 million in new local food sales, created and retained more than 400 jobs, and benefited more than 4,800 producers and 4,972 markets.
For more information, contact DATCP Grants Specialist Brian Williams at [email protected].