Policy and Partnerships The Pet Food Institute is actively engaged in policy and industry collaboration, evidenced by leadership changes and government relations shifts, including initiatives with Capitol Hill events and a focus on expanding export opportunities through FDA and USDA-backed programs. Opportunities exist to offer policy intelligence, regulatory compliance tools, and targeted advocacy support or partnership development services for members and allied associations.

Funding and Grants Recent funding and grants, including a USD 1.35 million MAP investment from USDA and a USD 725k AFTPP grant, suggest a growing emphasis on market access and international trade. Sales opportunities include solutions for grant administration, export readiness consulting, regulatory compliance tech, and services that help member companies maximize utilization of such funding.

Leadership Transitions There was a leadership change with a new president and CEO taking the helm in 2026, signaling potential strategic realignments and new priorities. This creates openings for executive-level advisory services, onboarding programs for new leadership, and technology platforms that support strategic planning, stakeholder management, and industry positioning.

Industry Collaboration PFI engages in high-profile industry collaborations and events (HABRI, APPA, WPA) and community initiatives (Reese Pet Food Initiative). There is room to offer sponsorship packages, event tech, content marketing partnerships, and member activation services to amplify visibility and impact within the pet nutrition ecosystem.

SMB-Focused Platform Needs With a small internal footprint (2-10 employees) and revenue under one million, PFI relies on partner ecosystems and multi-channel platforms (WordPress, Microsoft 365, WP Engine) for operations. This presents opportunities for affordable, scalable CRM, membership management, funding-tracking tools, and marketing automation tailored to small trade associations.