Grant Supports the Purchase of Production Technology including Software 

Ontario’s Supply Chain Stability and Adaptability Program Agri-Food Supply Chain Infrastructure Investment Stream is offering up to 25% grant funding to a maximum of $150,000 towards the acquisition of equipment and assets necessary to increase production capacity as well as address market and supply chain challenges related to an augmented need/demand for Ontario grown and produced food products.

Eligible Ontario agri-food businesses include:

• Farms grossing $7,000+ annually that supply Ontario food processing businesses with their products and/or have production and on-site agri-food processing activities.
• Food processors including co-packers (human food only) that source a significant portion (e.g., 50% or more) of agricultural inputs from Ontario farms (e.g., vegetables, fruits, dairy, and meat/poultry/fish, milled and processed grains). Note, “processed foods” is defined as “an agricultural input that has undergone any changes to its natural state, including cleaning, sorting, cutting, packaging of food for human consumption or as an ingredient”.

Examples of eligible projects are:

• Capital improvements, including modifications to existing buildings and/or mobile facilities and construction of new buildings and/or mobile facilities.
• Upgrades to utilities (including water, electric, heat, refrigeration, freezing, and waste facilities).
• Growing, processing, packaging and handling equipment plus related retrofits/construction.
• Technology that allows increased capacity or business resilience (including software and hardware related to business functions, robotics, logistics, inventory management, plant production and monitoring controls, to enable extended or year-round production).
• Technical assistance, including engineering and construction planning, land use planning, facility design and configuration planning, and other services that directly support future implementation of infrastructure-related capacity-building projects.

Ineligible activities include the production and/or processing of the following:

• Hemp, cannabis, and CBD products
• Nursery and floriculture
• Equine
• Fiber and non-food items from animals
• Beauty and cosmetic products
• Nutraceuticals

Standalone aggregators, distributers, or retailers of Ontario agri-food products (i.e., restaurants, retail store fronts) are not eligible for funding.

Project costs cannot be incurred before April 1, 2023, and all activities must be completed by March 31, 2024

Only one Supply Chain Stability and Adaptability Program application per business will be accepted.

Deadline for applications is 4:30 p.m. (EST), Thursday, February 9, 2023.