Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives Program (DBI) Fiscal Year 2026

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), requests applications for fiscal year (FY) 2026 from existing initiatives of the Dairy Business Innovation (DBI) Initiatives Program: the California State University Fresno Foundation, the University of Tennessee, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, and the University of Wisconsin. These initiatives serve to: • Diversify dairy product markets to reduce risk and develop higher value uses for dairy products; • Promote business development that diversifies farmer income through processing and marketing innovation; and • Encourage the use of regional milk production. Approximately $12.65 million is available to fund these initiatives. In the FY 2025 application cycle, AMS funded four applications from the existing initiatives awarding a total of $11,040,000. AMS strongly encourages DBI initiatives to prioritize subaward funding for projects that request equipment and infrastructure activities in their proposals for these FY2026 funds. See the DBI Specific Terms and Conditions for guidance on allowable equipment and construction costs. Equipment and infrastructure investments are critical to strengthening the dairy industry and overall dairy businesses capacity and DBI is currently uniquely positioned to offer such targeted funding opportunities.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), requests applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 only from the existing four initiatives of the Dairy Business Innovation (DBI) Initiatives program: the California State University Fresno Foundation, the University of Tennessee, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, and the University of Wisconsin.

Applications will be evaluated based on the criteria established for the program and described in the RFA. The most current RFA is available via Grants.gov or www.ams.usda.gov/grants.

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Fiscal Year2025: A DBI Initiative demonstrated its continued leadership in supporting regional dairy innovation. Seven dairy processors across the Northeast were awarded funding to enhance their marketing capabilities, with projects ranging from cohesive brand messaging and digital strategy development to e-commerce website launches and consumer research on cheese curd packaging. These initiatives are expected to strengthen the visibility and market reach of value-added dairy products. Concurrently, the Initiative celebrated the near completion of the 2023 Marketing & Branding Services subawards, with nine businesses advancing their branding and promotional efforts. The initiative also oversaw the successful implementation of the On-Farm Milk Storage and Handling Grant program, with 22 of 23 subrecipients completing infrastructure upgrades that improved milk quality, energy efficiency, and hauling logistics. Additionally, through a partnership, 30 small farms received critical equipment upgrades that enabled them to maintain market access and business continuity. These accomplishments were further amplified by the Northeast Dairy Innovation Summit, which convened over 200...