Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives Program (DBI) Fiscal Year 2026
Applications close Dec 1, 2026
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- Agency
- Agricultural Marketing Service
- Opportunity number
- USDA-AMS-TM-DBI-G-26-0011
- Posted
- Sep 30, 2026
- Closes
- Dec 1, 2026
- Award ceiling
- $3,450,000
- Award floor
- $2,300,000
- Estimated program funding
- $12,650,000
- Cost sharing required
- true
About this opportunity
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.
Who can apply
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.
How to apply
- 1Register your organization
Applications are submitted by your institution, not individuals. Make sure your organization has an active SAM.gov registration (with a UEI) and a Grants.gov account with an Authorized Organization Representative.
- 2Read the full notice
Open the official notice for the complete eligibility rules, review criteria, page limits, and required forms. Applications close Dec 1, 2026.
- 3Download the application package
From the Grants.gov opportunity page, download the package (or apply via your agency's system where required) and prepare each component.
- 4Build and submit
Prepare the budget and narrative, route for institutional sign-off, and submit before the deadline: GrantsManager can track every step for you.
Agency contact: Agricultural Marketing Service · IPPGrants@usda.gov
Details are pulled from Grants.gov and can change, always confirm against the official notice. GrantsManager isn't affiliated with these agencies.
Resources for applying
All USDA / NIFA grants and resources- Proposal submission checklist
A pre-submission checklist for research proposals: solicitation review, internal routing, budget, compliance, and sponsor-system steps to hit the deadline cleanly.
- Direct vs. indirect costs
The difference between direct and indirect costs on research grants, with examples of each, the gray areas like administrative salaries, and how indirect costs are calculated from your F&A rate.
- Reading your Notice of Award
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- Grant Budget Template
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- Budget Justification Template
A free budget justification (budget narrative) template for research grants, organized by the federal R&R budget categories, with example language for personnel, fringe, equipment, travel, other direct costs, subawards, and F&A.
- Grant Letter of Intent Template
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- Letter of Support Template for Grant Applications
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- F&A & MTDC calculator
Build the Modified Total Direct Cost base, apply your F&A rate, and see total direct costs, indirect costs, and the full award total, with the usual MTDC exclusions handled.
- Grant burn rate
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- Grants.gov
Federal grant applications and forms for NIH, USDA, and many others.
- USDA NIFA
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture programs and grants.
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