The Connecticut Milk Promotion Board (CTMPB), administered by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, is pleased to announce new funding opportunities with up to $500,000 available for programming in fiscal year 2021-22. These opportunities will align with their core focus which includes the vision of increasing purchases and expanding the access of milk and dairy products to consumers, retailers, institutions, and other applicable outlets. The funding will support the CTMPB’s mission to develop, coordinate, and implement promotional, research, and other programs designed to promote Connecticut dairy farms and the consumption of milk and dairy products.
“These funding opportunities are the result of a series of strategic visioning sessions undertaken by the Connecticut Milk Promotion Board in 2020 with input from the state’s dairy farmers,” said Paul Miller, Chairman of the CTMPB. “The board is dedicated to ensuring that dairy farmer dollars are being effectively utilized to meet our five-year target of realizing an increase in dairy purchases and consumption throughout the supply chain in Connecticut.”
The CTMPB has up to $500,000 available for programming and expects to award contracts up to $150,000 each in the first three bulleted program areas and no more than $50,000 in the fourth bulleted program area:
- Partnerships with various types of retail, educational, and professional organizations that will lead to the increase in dairy consumption.
- Multimedia campaigns promoting the value of Connecticut’s dairy farms and the accessibility of milk.
- Research that demonstrates the benefits of dairy in the diet and dairy farming to the environment.
- Farmer engagement programs to educate and engage dairy farmers on the utilization of their checkoff dollars.
Proposed applicants can apply for any combination of the above program areas and are not limited to applying for only one. Eligible entities include businesses, extension agencies, agricultural and non-profit organizations, universities, community colleges, educational institutions, agricultural science schools, research organizations, and contract media vendors. Interested applications should review each funding guidance document to confirm their eligibility.
Funding is provided through dairy checkoff dollars, established through the national dairy checkoff order. CGS Sec. 22-authorizes the CTMPB to award grant funds from Connecticut’s portion of checkoff dollars. All projects should be conducted in accordance with the national dairy checkoff order, which can be found at: httpst//www.ams.usda.gov/rules-regulations/research-promotion/dairy.
Additional details on the dairy grant funding opportunities can be found on www.CTGrown.gov/grants.
The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) mission is to foster a healthy economic, environmental, and social climate for agriculture by developing, promoting, and regulating agricultural businesses; protecting agricultural and aquacultural resources; enforcing laws pertaining to domestic animals; and promoting an understanding among the state's citizens of the diversity of Connecticut agriculture, its cultural heritage, and its contribution to the state's economy. For more information, visit www.CTGrown.gov.
