Program Accepting Applications Soon!

The Canadian Agricultural Partnership offers grants of up to 50% (25% to a maximum of $200,000 for equipment) towards increasing the sustainability, competitiveness and prosperity of Ontario’s agriculture processing sector. Eligible companies include equipment/technology manufacturers, food/pet food processors, agricultural-based pharmaceuticals/nutraceuticals, ornamentals (flowers, shrubs) and bio-products manufacturers, as well as other entities involved in the transformation of agricultural commodities and products. Funding is provided for projects that support plant/animal health, food safety/traceability, increased productivity, and market/economic development. Eligible expenditures include*:

1. Productivity Improvement: 25% up to $200,000 to purchase technology to increase labour productivity
2. Business Assessment: 50% up to $15,000 for any start-up or scaling-up processing business that wants to identify or determine feasibility of growth and opportunities by analyzing trends, access to capital and business structure.
3. Business Plans: 35% up to $15,000 for established and new businesses for plans to increase or improve financial sustainability, address growth needs and opportunities, and define concrete next steps.
4. Marketing Plans: 35% up to $25,000 for established processors
5. New Process or Product Development: 35% up to $75,000 for consultants and equipment to satisfy a new demand
6. ERP systems implementation: 35% up to $100,000
7. Food Safety and Traceability Pre-Audit, Gap Assessment and Planning: 45% up to $3,000 for companies with 100 or less employees
8. Food Safety and Traceability System Improvements: 50% up to $75,000. For processors with 100 or less employees
9. Food Safety and Traceability Training: 45% up to $1,500 for companies with 100 or less employees.
10. Food Safety and Traceability Equipment: 35% up to $10,000 for companies with 100 or less employees
11. Ingredient Efficiency and Waste Reduction: 25% up to $75,000 for technology that has been adopted by less than 20% of the Ontario sector
12. Labour productivity Plans: 50% up to $25,000
13. Domestic Market Development: 35% up to $50,000 for increasing Canadian market
14. International Market Development: 35% up to $75,000
15. Plant Pest Monitoring and Management Tools and Equipment: 35% up to $100,000
16. Preventing Introduction and Spread of Pests through Isolation, Sanitation and Controlling Work Flow: 35% up to $50,000

Costs incurred before receiving approval are ineligible for reimbursement (note: it typically takes roughly 3 months for a decision to be made). Applicants must have no more than 200 employees, be based or establishing operations in Ontario, be able to demonstrate potential income of at least $30,000 within three years of applying, plus cannot use awarded funding to undermine other Canadian companies. A maximum of two applications may be submitted per intake. Only expenses incurred after approval (i.e. July 15, 2019) are eligible for funding . Next deadline for applications is May 5, 2019 . 

*note the followings URL’s are not currently active, but will be available March 22