Northeast Dairy Packaging Innovation Grant (NE-DPPIG)

The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) announces the availability of funds through the Dairy Packaging Innovation Grant program. To remain competitive, Northeast dairy businesses need access to product packaging solutions that meet demands for sustainability as well as marketability. This program will provide grants to support modernized packaging initiatives that prioritize sustainability, scalability, and marketability. Projects should address the full life cycle of packaging from production to disposal or reuse, build on existing packaging innovation, and optimize packaging for marketability and labeling requirements. Priority will go to projects that partner across the dairy and packaging manufacturing sector and those that can demonstrate how they will positively impact multiple dairy businesses and supply chain partners.  

Project approaches can be focused on one or both of the following: 

• improved package design/labeling for packaging materials that are easily recycled, such as milk jugs  

• developing improved access to and utilization of recycled/recyclable, and compostable packaging, or other solutions focused on eliminating single use packaging for dairy products 

This grant round will include a two-step application process. Following the review of pre-applications, a subset of applicants will be invited to submit a full application.  

Applicants eligible for these funds must fall into at least one of the following categories:

• Dairy processor that transforms raw milk into an edible product with milk sourced from the Northeast region. Processors must be licensed in a way that their product can be sold across state lines. 

• Dairy producer association/dairy council which represents and promotes dairy products dairy/businesses of the Northeast region. 

• Packaging manufacturer that partners with at least one dairy processor, as defined above.  

• Supply chain business (e.g. distributor or retail operation) based/headquartered in the Northeast that partners with at least one dairy processor, as defined above. Supply chain businesses must source dairy products and purchases from and sell to businesses primarily in the Northeast.

• Educational/research institution that partners with at least one dairy processor, as defined above.

"The Northeast Region" includes the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Grants will range from $75,000 to $350,000 with a 25% (cash or in-kind) match commitment required. Total funds available: $1,000,000.

This grant round will include a two-step application process. Following the review of pre-applications, a subset of applicants will be invited to submit a full application.  

1. Review the full Dairy Product Packaging Innovation Grant RFA.

2. Register in WebGrants (may take up to two business days).

3. Complete your pre-application in WebGrants using our Application Guide.  

4. For those applicants invited to submit a full application, the application deadline will be in November 2023.

• Webgrants Application Guide

• Grant Q&A

• Dairy Product Packaging Innovation Grant RFA