MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is accepting applications for Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin (BLBW) Grants until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. DATCP will award up to $200,000 total in BLBW grant funding in 2026.
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, hops varieties, hazelnut products, locally grown grain, and other value-added products.
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. Funded projects will need to report on increased local food sales, created and retained jobs, and new investments.
Projects can receive grant funds for up to three years, and requests must be between $5,000 and $50,000. Eligible expenses include compensation for personnel, consultant services, materials, and supplies. Grant recipients must provide a one-to-one match of cash or in-kind support accounting for at least 50% of the total project budget.
DATCP will use a competitive review process to select the most qualified projects. Contracts and project work may begin in January 2027. Grant information and application materials are available at https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/
Since its inception in 2008, 644 applicants have requested more than $22 million total in Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin grant funding, and the program has funded 134 projects totaling over $3.42 million. Previous grant recipients have generated over $15.1 million in new local food sales, created and retained more than 608 jobs, and benefited more than 5,700 producers and 5,700 markets.
For more information, contact Jarret Miles-Kroening, DATCP Organic and Specialty Crop Program Specialist, at DATCPdadgrants@wisconsin.gov or (608) 320-6685.
Comments