Midwest Dairy is offering free grant-writing support for on-farm projects through an exciting continued program with Lasso. Lasso will identify, apply for, and manage grant funding opportunities for you. Reach out to nicole@joinlasso.com or (312) 833-7726 by June 27, 2025, for more information.
Free Grant Writing Support
We’re excited to announce a continued program with Lasso. Our program’s goal is to increase our dairy farmers’ awareness and access to public funding opportunities for on-farm projects.
The Lasso team will be your grant writer in a box: for your farm and project of interest, they will identify, apply for and manage grant opportunities on your behalf.
If selected for this program, you will receive the Lasso grant-writing services for free.
Benefits to You
By participating in this program, you can access more funding with minimal time investment. Lasso will:
- Identify opportunities across federal, regional, state, and local grants that could support participants and their upcoming projects
- Help participants receive funding without the headache and time-consuming paperwork of putting an application together
- Make sure all participants complete their requirements both before submitting the application and after receiving the award
To Participate In This Program
- Be open to government grants
- Have a project in mind (details below) with potential installers / vendors / service providers identified
- Be open to appear as a case study for Midwest Dairy
- Note: Only high level information would be included (e.g., context, project type, result and benefit from grant funding)
Working with Lasso
Typical steps of working with Lasso:
- First: they talk to you to get context on your farm and proposed project to understand your operations and needs.
- Second: they share all eligible funding from federal, state, regional and local sources – they go through the long list of requirements to make sure you are not only eligible but competitive.
- Third: they put together the application from start to finish. They’ll manage all stakeholders, inputs needed, and narratives to create a high-quality application
- Finally: Once you get the award, they’ll make sure all your i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed to help you get reimbursed as soon as possible.
Once you have selected a project, identified vendors / installers, and received at least 1 bid, we will be able to kick off your process.
First we pre-score applications. Once pre-scoring is done, we can advise whether it’s competitive and how to go forward. If we go forward, we sign an NDA with you and work on the application. We need a few documents from both you and the installer for a successful application, we can share a list these upon kicking work off on a project.
Grant Opportunities
Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP)
- Deadline: June 27, 2025
- Funding Range: $25,000 – $500,000, 25% grant matching required
- What It’s For: Funds projects that expand intermediary supply chain (e.g., co-ops, CSAs (community supported agriculture), food council, local governments, etc.) activities to help multiple producers reach local markets, with a strong focus on marketing activities.
- Planning food businesses: Conduct feasibility studies, develop business plans, or organize regional food system planning efforts.
- Launching or growing enterprises: Build or expand food hubs, online marketplaces, or supply chain infrastructure that connects farmers to local markets.
- Marketing local food: Implement marketing plans, design promotions, and identify new sales opportunities for regional food products.
Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP)
- Deadline: June 27, 2025
- Funding Range: $50,000 – $500,000, 25% grant matching required
- What It’s For: Funds projects that develop, coordinate, and expand direct producer-to-consumer markets for multiple producers.
- Building market infrastructure: Start or grow farmers markets, CSA (community supported agriculture), roadside stands, or online platforms that connect farmers directly with consumers.
- Supporting farmer training and outreach: Train farmers and market managers, especially on how to participate in benefit programs and expand access to direct-to-consumer markets.
- Developing marketing strategies: Identify new sales channels, create marketing plans, and promote local food using media, signage, and outreach.
Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP)
- Deadline: June 27, 2025
- Funding Range: $100,000 – $1,000,000, 25% grant matching required
- What It’s For: Funds projects that help connect public and private resources to plan and develop partnerships that improve access to regional food. This includes:
- Planning regional food systems: Form partnerships to assess needs, conduct feasibility studies, and design strategies to strengthen local or regional food systems.
- Developing collaborative value chains: Create or grow collaborations among producers, processors, and buyers that support shared goals and local sourcing.
- Strengthening community engagement: Facilitate public-private collaboration through outreach, community feedback loops, and stakeholder engagement in planning and action.
State-Specific Opportunities
- Dairy Business Builder (DBIA):
- Max award: Up to $100,000
- Eligible projects: dairy farm diversification, creation of value-added dairy products, enhancement of the value of a dairy commodity or by-product, or creation or expansion of a program for exporting dairy products
- Deadline: The deadline has not yet been announced, but it will likely open in early April.
Lasso Grant Showcase: Olmar Farms
Contact Lasso
Contact Lasso for More Information
To learn more about Lasso’s grant writing capabilities or to begin the application process, please contact Nicole at Lasso by email at nicole@joinlasso.com or by phone at 312-833-7726.