Featured speakers, Porchea McGuire, Equity and Engagement Coordinator, NWI Food Council, and John Jamerson, owner of Legacy Taste of 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 grant opportunities. 

Grant funding, provided by the USDA, will be available across the Great Lakes Midwest 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 across the region to assistance providers and through the grant program over the next four years.