New grants available to support industrial innovation in Minnesota's food systems

The MPCA’s industrial innovation in food systems program provides funding to food and beverage manufacturing facilities and food waste processing sites to cut climate pollution, improve efficiency, and reduce waste. Funding will help ensure that Minnesota’s food and beverage industry remains competitive, operational, and located within Minnesota.

The program has two new funding opportunities available: technical assistance and planning grants and implementation grants.

Technical assistance and planning grants

There is $7.2 million in grants available to conduct technical assistance and planning services at food and beverage manufacturing and food waste processing sites across Minnesota. This funding is designed to identify and evaluate facility-specific decarbonization projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and other hazardous pollutants.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Eligible applications received by 5 p.m. Central Time on the 21st of each month will be reviewed and evaluated. This will continue until funds are fully spent, or June 21, 2028, whichever occurs first.

The MPCA will host an informational webinar to provide an overview of the technical assistance and planning grants, eligibility, and applicable requirements on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, from 3 to 4 p.m.
Technical assistance and planning grants

Implementation grants

There is $40 million in grants available to implement decarbonization projects in food and beverage manufacturing and food waste processing across Minnesota. Funding is intended for innovative capital expenditure projects that will result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and other hazardous pollutants.

Applications for this funding will be accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed quarterly. Eligible applications received by 5 p.m. Central Time on the quarterly deadline (July 1, October 1, January 1, and April 1 of each year) will be evaluated. This will continue until funds are fully spent, or April 1, 2028, whichever occurs first.

The MPCA will host an informational webinar to provide an overview of the implementation grants, eligibility, and applicable requirements on Thursday, May 14, 2026, from 11 a.m. to noon.

This program is part of Minnesota's $200 million climate-smart food systems (CSFS) initiative. CSFS empowers growers, processors, nonprofits, and local communities to build a food system that reduces waste and climate pollution while nourishing Minnesotans statewide.