This project will engage industry experts, investment leaders, and growth-oriented farm and food businesses to: 1) train and deploy credentialed business advisors and financial services specific to…

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service awarded $809,903 to the University of Wisconsin System on September 30, 2025, under the Wholesale Farmers and Alternative Market Development program (CFDA 10.164), a cooperative agreement running through April 30, 2027, with performance in Wisconsin.

The project trains and deploys credentialed business advisors and financial services tailored to local and regional food enterprises; pilots initiatives pairing sector-specific expertise with innovative capital stacking strategies to scale regional supply chains; and documents and disseminates replicable strategies for mobilizing investment-ready regional farm and food initiatives.

Specific deliverables include convening an Action Tank of innovative capital providers to identify aligned priorities and develop shared tools and strategies; designing a coordinated framework of core competencies for identifying, assessing, and mobilizing small and mid-sized food and agriculture enterprises and infrastructure through an investment pipeline; piloting a cohort-based training and peer-learning financial literacy initiative among growth-oriented farmers and food businesses to support access to high-value domestic markets and innovative revenue streams; developing a competency-based consultant training curriculum attuned to local, regional, and mid-tier farm and food enterprises and financing strategies; growing and supporting trained consultants through a community of practice model; and developing a Food Systems Investing Playbook informed by capital providers' and businesses' needs, covering investment-readiness criteria, competencies, finance ecosystem analysis, and regional investment consortium guidance.

The University of Wisconsin System passed funding to Global Philanthropy Partnership, which delivers these same core activities as sub-recipient.

This project will engage industry experts, investment leaders, and growth-oriented farm and food businesses to: 1) train and deploy credentialed business advisors and financial services specific to local and regional food enterprises; 2) pilot initiatives that pair sector-specific expertise with innovative capital stacking strategies to scale regional supply chains; 3) document and disseminate replicable strategies for mobilizing investment-ready regional farm and food initiatives.