The Cattlemen’s Beef Board invites all eligible beef industry organizations to submit funding requests for programs and projects for the upcoming fiscal year 2026, which begins Oct. 1, 2025. Requests must be in the form of an authorization request. Multiple program areas are eligible for funding.

By law, the Beef Checkoff—through their administrative body the Cattlemen’s Beef Board—contracts with national, nonprofit, beef industry-governed organizations to carry out promotion, research and education work as directed in the Beef Promotion & Research Act and Order.

As outlined by the Beef Promotion and Research Order, eligible groups that may contract with the Beef Checkoff are established national nonprofit industry-governed organizations that are nonprofit organizations pursuant to sections 501(c) (3), (5) or (6) of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. 501(c) (3), (5) and (6)); are governed by a national board of directors representing the cattle or beef industry; and have been active and ongoing for at least two years.

Organizations must submit a first-round draft of an authorization request to the CBB by June 2, 2025. At the 2025 Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting in San Diego, Calif., July 7-9, organizations will have the opportunity to present their specific plans and funding requests to various Beef Checkoff Program Committees. This process allows producers and importers to provide input on checkoff-funded programs, build programs free of redundancy and achieve the strategies outlined in the Beef Industry Long Range Plan.

The number of Beef Checkoff contracting organizations changes from year to year, as does the available amount of funding, which is based on the annual checkoff collection. As an example, for the current fiscal year 2025, the Beef Promotion Operating Committee approved eight contractors to conduct Beef Checkoff work.

Final-draft authorization requests must be received by the CBB office by July 21, 2025, to be considered by the BPOC.

Authorization requests must specify estimated costs of all activities that will be conducted throughout the program, and expenses are reimbursed on a cost-recovery basis. Organizations are not provided funds in advance, but are reimbursed for approved expenses already incurred, excluding project mark-ups and profits.

Source: Beef Checkoff