The Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiative (SDBII), with support from USDA AMS, offers grants to dairy businesses in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico. The program provides reimbursement funds to permitted dairy businesses that are seeking the help of experts to plan for the future. The Specialty Processing Equipment Grant Request for Proposal (RFP), budget workbook, and scoring rubric for the 2024 grant cycle are available below. The application window closed on September 25, 2024. This grant opportunity will reopen at the end of July 2025.
Grant Workbook Components
Grant materials for the Specialty Processing Equipment Grant can be downloaded below. Please read the request for proposal IN FULL before starting your application. A recorded information session is available at the bottom of this page.
Those considering applying for an SDBII grant should start the process of obtaining a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) as soon as possible. Award recipients will be required to provide a UEI before the grant contract can be executed. Wait times are currently several weeks long. Register at SAM.GOV
Program Contacts
Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, & Louisiana
Shep Stearns & Liz Eckelkamp: sdbiigrants@utk.edu
Kentucky, Arkansas, Virginia, & West Virginia
Jennifer Hickerson: j.hickersonkddc@gmail.com
North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, & Mississippi
Brittany Whitmire & Stephanie Ward: ncdairyextension@ncsu.edu
Submission Form
Access the Specialty Processing Equipment Grant Application form here.