Center for Regional Food Systems Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center

What you need to know webinar: Telling a compelling story to funders

October 24, 2024 12:30PM - 1:30PM

Contact: For more information, email glm-rfbc@msu.edu or visit glm-rfbc.msu.edu.

Join the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center for a webinar on October 24 to help prepare your food or farm business for upcoming grant applications. 

October 24, 2024, 12:30 PM EST, 11:30 AM CST

Register: https://msu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LqmFTplaSWu-NgovTt5Wxw#/registration 

Sharing your business story to funders in a compelling way can help farmers and food business owners access grant funding. In this webinar on Thursday, October 24, 2024, 12:30 PM EST, 11:30 AM CST, Jane Cajuste, Chicago Food Policy Action Council and Madelina DiLisi, Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, will share their tips and experiences. 

Jamie Rahrig and Julie Jesmer, both part of the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems (CRFS) team supporting the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center, will also share about assistance and funding opportunities coming later in 2024. This includes the first phase of the Business Builder grant program for food and/or farm businesses in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin in late 2024. Over $10 million dollars will be distributed across the region to assistance providers and through the grant program over the next four years. 

Guest speakers:

• Madelina DiLisi, Food and Farm Network Specialist, MSU Center for Regional Food Systems Madelina is the Food and Farm Network Specialist for the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center (GLM-RFBC) within the Center for Regional Food Systems. Madelina has been engaged in local food systems work in the Western Upper Peninsula for years. She first worked as the Calumet Farmers Market Manager and then moved on to work as a local food coordinator with Taste the Local Difference. Most recently, she was a Farm to School Education Consultant for the Western Upper Peninsula region. Madelina holds a Master's degree in Environmental and Energy Policy from Michigan Technological University and a Bachelor's degree in Sustainability, Science, and Society from Michigan Technological University. 
• Jane Cajuste, Illinois Program Coordinator, Chicago Food Policy Action Council Jane brings over a decade of diverse experience in mental health and housing non-profit work, culinary arts education, and small business ownership to her role. Her most recent role was teaching culinary arts at Cook County Jail. With a strong focus on culturally relevant, people-centered approaches to food justice, Jane aims to promote equitable access to resources, diversify economic opportunities in underserved communities, and reduce barriers for overlooked food businesses, growers, and producers throughout Illinois and the region. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening, hiking, and exploring new cuisines.

Webinar hosts:

• Jamie Rahrig coordinates assistance for food and farm businesses through the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center at Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems and is part of the MSU Product Center team. In her role, Jamie develops and manages programs in partnership with organizations across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. She helps bring business coaching to the businesses from farm to fork with a goal of providing equitable access to healthy and affordable food.
• Julie Jesmer is the new Business Builder Grant Manager for the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center at CRFS. In this role she will be developing a process for distributing and identifying potential grantees for the Business Builder Awards.  This includes setting up and managing the application as well as the review and evaluation processes in cooperation with regional partners.

Join us for this webinar on Thursday, October 24, 2024, 12:30 PM EST, 11:30 AM CST on Zoom, to learn more about sharing your business story with grant funders. This session will be recorded and shared for those who cannot attend. Register by October 23, 5 PM EST, 4 PM CST.

For more information, email glm-rfbc@msu.edu or visit glm-rfbc.msu.edu.

About the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center  

The Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center is dedicated to offering coordination, technical assistance, and capacity building opportunities for small- to mid-sized or historically marginalized food and farm business entrepreneurs in support of a more resilient, diverse, and competitive food system. Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems (MI) coordinates the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center that is comprised of network coordinators – Chicago Food Policy Action Council (IL), Northwest Indiana Food Council (IN), Food Finance Institute of the University of Wisconsin System (WI), and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin Department of Agriculture and Food Systems – who seek to take a transformational, rather than transactional, approach. Learn more at glm-rfbc.msu.edu    

Support for the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service Regional Food Business Centers Program. The 12 USDA Regional Food Business Centers support all 50 U.S. States and Territories, and are inclusive of all types of agricultural products produced locally or regionally.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. USDA Non-Discrimination Statement 

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