Bison Production and Marketing Grant Program
The Bison Production and Marketing Grant Program, administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, is a national effort to strengthen the economic viability, ecological performance, and market access of bison producers across the United States. The U.S. bison industry faces significant barriers, including limited processing and market access, insufficient coordinated technical and business support for producers, and varying levels of production capacity. This program addresses those barriers by pairing targeted financial support with hands-on technical guidance from industry experts.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has awarded funding to three partner organizations—Flower Hill Institute (FHI), the National Bison Association (NBA), and Mad Agriculture (Mad Ag)—to administer the Bison Production and Marketing Grant Program (BPMGP).
Through the partnership of NBA, Mad Ag, and FHI, this initiative integrates on-the-ground production support, business and operational development, and market access and industry coordination. By aligning financial resources with technical assistance and market development expertise, the program will strengthen production systems, improve business performance, expand market participation, and generate actionable insights for the broader bison industry.
Program Details & Benefits
This program provides competitive grants to support bison producers, businesses, and eligible entities in expanding production capacity, improving processing and infrastructure, strengthening market access, and increasing consumer demand for bison products. Funds will support activities across the value chain, including production, regenerative grazing systems, processing, business development, marketing, and education related to bison food products and byproducts.
This program is funded through Section 1001(b)(4) of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 (Pub. L. 117–2).
Applicants may request up to $150,000 per award. The Award Notification Commencement Period begins September 14, 2026. The project period of performance begins upon full execution of the subaward agreement and must end by July 31, 2028. The National Bison Association seeks applications that align with the program priorities outlined in this document.
The following information covers the National Bison Association’s subaward program only. Two additional Program Grant Recipients, Flower Hill Institute and Mad Agriculture, administer separate subaward programs with different programmatic focuses. If your project is primarily focused on bison processing, product innovation, or bison production infrastructure, one of those programs may be a better fit. Information on those programs is available on their respective websites.
Flower Hill Insititute: https://flowerhill.institute/national-bison-program-overview
Mad Agriculture: https://madagriculture.org/bison-program/national-bison-production-and-marketing-grant
Key Dates and Details
Funding Year: Fiscal Year (FY) 2026
RFA Release Date: June 1, 2026
Letter of Intent Deadline: June 29, 2026, 11:59 PM CST
Invitation for Full Application: July 13, 2026
Full Application Deadline: August 10, 2026, 11:59 PM CST
Award Notification Commencement Period: September 14, 2026
Total Funds Available for Subawards: $704,000 total; maximum of $150,000 per award
Latest Project End Date: July 31, 2028
Requests for Applications
For more information regarding timeline, eligibility, award ranges, funding priorities and application process, please read the full request for applications by clicking the button below.
Please note:
All applicants must have an active SAM.gov registration and a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) at the time of LOI submission. Applicants should verify their SAM.gov registration is current before applying. Applications from entities without an active SAM.gov registration will not be considered. SAM.gov registration can be completed or renewed at www.sam.gov.
Letter of Intent (LOI)
Letters of Intent must be submitted by June 29, 2026, 11:59 PM CST. Late LOIs will not be accepted. Please utilize the following LOI Application Instructions by clicking the button below.
The Letter of Intent must include:
• Funding opportunity number and title
• Applicant name, organization, postal address, email address, and telephone number
• Organization type
• UEI number and SAM.gov registration status
• Confirmation that the applicant is applying to NBA
• Proposed activities and estimated total cost
Become a Member
Find the right membership for you.
I joined the NBA to primarily educate myself about bison but I quickly learned I now had a ready resource of experienced bison ranchers willing to help an novice rancher achieve my goals.
– Chris Silver, Gold Coast Bison
SUBSCRIBE
Sign up to receive news of news, projects, resources from the National Bison Association