What you need to know: Grants 101

August 22, 2024, 12:30 PM EST | 11:30 AM CST

Join the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center for a webinar on August 22 to help prepare your food or farm business for upcoming grant applications.

Writing and applying for grants can be intimidating. In this second session of the What you need to know webinar series, you will learn from farmers and funders what you can do now to prepare for grant applications, including what to consider when applying and tips for writing grants that get funded.

Featured speakers, Porchea McGuire, Equity and Engagement Coordinator, NWI Food Council, and John Jamerson, Program Director, Legacy Taste the Garden, will share their insights on writing for and applying for grant funding. They will join Julie Jesmer and Jamie Rahrig of the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems and the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center who will share more about the upcoming Business Builder Award grant opportunities.

Grant funding, provided by the USDA, will be available across the Great Lakes Midwest starting in late 2024. This includes the first phase of the Business Builder grant program for food and/or farm businesses in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. Over $10 million dollars will be distributed to technical assistance providers and eligible business owners over the next four years.

Our Featured Speakers

The faces of Porchea McQuire and John Jamerson are featured in circle frames.

Porchea McGuire, Equity and Engagement Coordinator, NW Indiana Food Council and Partners IN Food and Farming, is a dedicated advocate for Black and Indigenous culture, recognizing the profound impact of understanding cultural roots in fostering community. Her passion for exploring and studying Black culture extends to her commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within Indiana's food systems. As the Equity and Engagement Coordinator for the Northwest Indiana Food Council, Porchea draws on her extensive experience and deep-seated dedication to community, agriculture, and cultural understanding. She served on the advisory council for Black LOAM, is the Executive Board President of Partners IN Food and Farming, and was 2024 FSLN Community Food Systems Mentee (Rev Dele) through Wallace Center. Porchea is also the proud owner of Shiloh Divine Farms, where she embodies her vision of creating resilient communities and initiatives that empower future generations.
John Jamerson is the Program Director of Legacy Taste the Garden. John provides technical and strategic experience in creating the visionary outline, collaborating with individuals and organizations to create a sustainable business in agriculture. John’s responsibilities include building a sustainable farm structure, marketing, and training modules in agriculture for socially disadvantaged farmers, youths, and communities. He manages partnerships and programs, develops markets to provide fresh produce to the community, and works with different organizations and stores.

Join us Thursday, August 22, 11:30 AM CT | 12:30 PM ET on Zoom, to learn more about applying for grants. This session will be recorded and shared at glm-rfbc.msu.edu and on Youtube.

Link to register: https://bit.ly/GLMRFBCgrants101

For more information, email glm-rfbc@msu.edu or visit glm-rfbc.msu.edu.

About the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center

The Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center is dedicated to offering coordination, technical assistance, and capacity building opportunities for small- to mid-sized or historically marginalized food and farm business entrepreneurs in support of a more resilient, diverse, and competitive food system. Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems (MI) coordinates the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center that is comprised of network coordinators – Chicago Food Policy Action Council (IL), Northwest Indiana Food Council (IN), Food Finance Institute of the University of Wisconsin System (WI), and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin Department of Agriculture and Food Systems – who seek to take a transformational, rather than transactional, approach. Learn more at glm-rfbc.msu.edu

Support for the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service Regional Food Business Centers Program. The 12 USDA Regional Food Business Centers support all 50 U.S. States and Territories, and are inclusive of all types of agricultural products produced locally or regionally.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. USDA Non-Discrimination Statement