Grant Funding Supports Agriculture and Agri-Food Sector

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 and agri-food sector. Eligible companies include equipment and 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. Maximum number of applicant employees is 200. Funding is provided for projects that support plant/animal health, food safety/traceability, increased productivity, market development, or business planning/assessments. 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 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. Next intake deadline is May 6, 2019 . 

***We are currently waiting for the next Canadian Agricultural Partnership intake date to be released, however government grants are currently available for:

1. Export Market Development
2. Hiring New Employees
3. Start-Ups
4. Reducing GHGs and Electricity Conservation