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 grant awards to revitalize and spur innovation in the dairy industry across the Southeast. Currently the Specialty Equipment Processing Grant is closed (previous application period closed November 1, 2022 at 5:00pm ET). A Request for Proposals (RFP) and application for the Specialty Equipment Investment Grant are available to download as resources. These grants will reopen starting in the summer of 2023.
Grant Workbook Components
The Specialty Equipment Processing Grant Request for Proposal, Application, and Budget Form are available below. Read the Request for Proposal IN FULL before starting your application.
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