BROOMFIELD, Colo. — The Markets Division of the Colorado Department of Agriculture has funds available to help Colorado companies apply for a federal grant that would increase meat processing capacity across our state. CDA will award up to $5,000 per Colorado business to hire a dedicated grant writer to help prepare applications for a yet-to-be announced Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP) grant from the US Department of Agriculture.

“We’re encouraging all Colorado meat processing companies looking to expand their capacity to apply for this grant writing funding,” said Ashley Warsh, International Markets & Business Development manager at the Colorado Department of Agriculture. “Applying for federal grants is complex and time consuming and CDA wants to help Colorado companies prepare and submit meaningful proposals to be considered for this grant.”

The USDA has not released specific parameters for the second round of funding yet, but once announced, applicants will only have about 45-60 days to submit proposals. In the first round of funding, companies eligible for the grant needed to either be a USDA-inspected facility or be looking to be federally inspected by the end of the project. CDA believes that in order to be eligible for round two, businesses will need to meet similar requirements.

Companies interested in applying for the funding must fill out an online application, which can also be found at ag.colorado.gov/markets. The funding is on a first come, first served basis and CDA will review applications in the order they are received. Up to $54,000 is available for the grants.