Grants | Choose Iowa

Choose Iowa Grants for Value-Added Agriculture and Dairy Innovation

Choose Iowa offers grants for value-added agriculture and dairy innovation.

The Choose Iowa Grants exist to identify, evaluate and financially support programs and services that add value to agricultural products, enable new technologies and support alternative marketing strategies. These cost-share grants leverage additional private investment and were created to assist Iowa farmers, businesses and non-profits with their efforts to increase or diversify their agricultural product offerings, expand markets and shorten the supply chain.

Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant

The Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant awards financial assistance to eligible businesses engaged in projects that do one or more of the following:

Expand or refurbish existing milk plants or establish a new milk plant.
Expand or refurbish existing mobile dairy processing units or establish new mobile dairy processing units.
Rent buildings, refrigeration facilities, freezer facilities or equipment necessary to expand dairy processing capacity, including mobile dairy or refrigeration units used exclusively for dairy processing.
Incorporate methods and technologies that reduce farm labor associated with milk production and storage, including but not limited to the use of robotics and processes or systems that operate using computerized equipment or machinery.

Highlights

$750,000 available funding
The grants will be awarded to producers to purchase labor reducing technology for their dairy farm and/or on-farm processing equipment.
Maximum awarded up to $100,000 per grant awardee.
- The total amount of grant funding requested may not surpass $100,000 per applicant including both their on-farm processing and labor reducing technology requests.
Applicants must provide a minimum of one-to-one (1:1) financial match from private sources such as cash, financing or other non-government grant funds for total project costs. In-kind contributions are not accepted.
- Example: An individual applying for a grant of $5,000 must provide at least $5,000 from other sources for a project total of $10,000.
Grant funds are paid out as a reimbursement after grant project(s) are completed.
Projects cannot be in progress before a grant is awarded and must be able to be completed in 12 months or less.
Purchases for grant project can begin after the grant agreement is finalized with signatures from the grant recipient and an IDALS representative. Purchases made before this point are not eligible for reimbursement.

	FY24	FY25
Funds available to award	$750,000	$750,000
Total funds requested	$2,670,191.50	TBD
Projects awarded	20	TBD
Value of awarded projects	$2,211,000.24	TBD

Producer requirements

Must be located in Iowa.
Business must be permitted by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
Business must employ less than 50 individuals.
Membership in Choose Iowa brand program NOT required.

The Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant application submission deadline as been extended from November 27, 2024 at noon CST to December 2, 2024 at noon CST.

Full details and requirements: Choose Iowa Dairy Innovation Grant Guidelines

Choose Iowa Value-Added Grant

Choose Iowa Value-Added Grants increase sales of Iowa agricultural products by increasing production capacity or expanding market access for value-added projects.

Highlights:

Maximum awarded up to $25,000 per grant awardee.
Applicants must provide a minimum of one-to-one (1:1) financial match from private sources such as cash, financing or other grant funds for total project costs. In-kind contributions are not accepted.
- Example: An individual applying for a grant of $5,000 must provide at least $5,000 from other sources for a project total of $10,000.
Grant funds are paid out as a reimbursement after grant project(s) are completed.
Projects cannot be in progress before a grant is awarded and must be able to be completed in 12 months or less.

	FY23	FY24	FY25
Funds available to award	$463,000	$463,000	$463,000
Total funds requested	$1,286,217	$1,130,139	TBD
Projects awarded	28	26	TBD
Value of awarded projects	$1,413,952	$1,993,190.47	TBD

Producer Requirements

Must be located in Iowa.
Preference will be given to small and medium-sized businesses. The Iowa Economic Development Authority defines small-sized businesses as having less than 50 full-time employees, medium-sized businesses with 51-250 employees, and large businesses as more than 250 employees.
Membership in Choose Iowa brand program NOT required.

The application period for the Choose Iowa Value-Added Grants opens December 2, 2024

Full details and requirements: Choose Iowa Value-Added Grant Guidelines