Grants for March 2019

Generous Government Funding Program for Agri-food Sector Open for a Limited Time

The Federal and Provincial agricultural ministries have announced the renewed government funding under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (“CAP”) targeting farms as well as food and beverage producers, including wineries and breweries. In addition, businesses in the burgeoning licensed cannabis sector are able to capitalize on this funding.

Used in tandem with suitable credit financing programs, the CAP presents a significant but limited time opportunity for players in the agricultural sector to rapidly scale and strengthen their businesses.

Up to $250,000 in non-repayable funding is available for businesses, with eligible projects, to augment their capital budgets or increase their return on investment on their internal capital. Applications will be accepted starting March 22, 2019, and close on May 6, 2019.

Interested in applying?
Leveraging the combined expertise of Fair Grant Writing and Farber’s Performance Improvement practice, we can guide you through a successful funding application and project delivery, covering the following areas:

Area of Focus Type of Project
·   Equipment purchasing and upgrades ·    Business case development
·   ERP or Supply Chain Management software implementation ·    Software selection
·    Software implementation
·    Change management
·    Labour productivity planning ·    Lean Six Sigma implementation
·    Target setting and KPI development
·    Dashboard reporting
·   Domestic and international marketing ·    New market research
·    Marketing strategy development
·   New product or process development ·    New market research
·    Process mapping and design
·   Waste reduction ·    Root cause analysis and process redesign

About Fair Grant Writing
Fair Grant Writing helps businesses solve their most pressing challenges and grow by unlocking their access to Government grants and loans. We have developed a robust standards-based system to prepare thorough and detailed funding proposals. This minimizes application preparation time, reduces inaccuracies that can cause the rejection, and increases the chances of a successful application.

For more details on the CAP and other government funding programs that may be applicable to you, check eligibility now on our site or contact Holly Whitely at 647.800.5006 or by email at holly@fairgrantwriting.ca.

About Farber’s Performance Improvement team
Farber Performance Improvement helps companies crystallize their strategy, enhance operational performance, improve leadership, and clarify a vision for the future—one designed to deliver sustained profitability over time. Using targeted performance measures, we provide data-driven insights that will eliminate waste, improve performance, and help companies do what they do better.

For more details on how Farber can create value for you, visit their consulting team, or contact Adam Silver at 416.496.3734 or by email at asilver@farbergroup.com.

New Funding for Steel & Aluminum Manufacturers

I must admit I am surprised. Neither the Federal nor the provincial budgets have been announced yet, but there is a new government funding program to share with you. The FedDev Ontario launched Steel and Aluminum Initiative, a new non-repayable funding program to support steel & aluminum manufacturers hit by the tariff war. But hurry, this is the limited-time opportunity with April 8, 2019 deadline.

Eligibility requirements:

  • For-profit firm located in southern Ontario
  • Must employ between 10 to 499 full-time employees
  • Steel and/or aluminum expenditures must equal to or be greater than 20% of the total cost of goods sold (input cost)
  • Must demonstrate plans for projects to enhance productivity or to increase competitiveness by adopting new innovative technologies.

Eligible projects:

  • Acquiring, adapting, adopting new technologies (e.g. Equipment & Software)
  • Adopting best management practices (e.g. Lean)
  • Market development/expansion
  • Process re-engineering
  • Improving manufacturing capacity
  • Technology showcasing and technology demonstration

Reimbursement:

45% of eligible cost up to a maximum of $1 million (minimum request must be $150,000) in non-repayable funding.

Interested in Steel and Aluminum Initiative funding? Here are 3 easy steps to follow.

1. Check the breakdown of the cost of goods sold as per your most recent financial statement or income statement reported to CRA (T2 Schedule 125).

2. Calculate % of steel and/or aluminum cost of the cost of goods sold. Is it over 20%?

3. If so, Check eligibility of your company and your project by submitting eligibility check form at http://www.fgwinc.ca/eligibility.

Once again, this is a very short 4-week opportunity and the deadline is April 8, 2019. Don’t miss the boat!

Manufacturing Supercluster Funding Intake will soon open

I just got off the webinar held by Jason Mayers, a CEO of Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster (NGen). He announced that the supercluster will start accepting applications for funding from the industry applicants in the end of March, 2019. The supercluster is finalizing funding conditions with the Federal government but this is what is already known.

  1. NGen will reimburse up to 44.4% of a project’s eligible costs.
  2. The projects should have a total cost between $1 million and $20 million.
  3. Applications for Supercluster projects must have at least three private sector companies. Partnerships with educational institutions is encouraged but is not mandatory.
  4. Full requirements and application procedure will be published in a few weeks.
  5. Eligible projects must focus on:
  • Developing advanced technology solutions that give Canadian manufacturers global competitive advantage
  • Adoption of game-changing technology transforming existing manufacturing processes
  • Developing new manufacturing capabilities based on the application of advanced technology
  • Developing new training programs and tools that support advanced manufacturing

Interested in Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster funding? Here are three easy steps to follow.

1. Check eligibility of your company and your project idea by submitting eligibility check form.

2. Become a member of Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster. There is no membership fee.

3. Stay tuned for the updates from us or the Supercluster on the terms and conditions of funding and the start date of the intake.

[Next Intake] for Canadian Agricultural Partnership Program Announced

We are happy to share with you that the Federal and provincial agri-food ministries reached the agreement to run the next intake of applications for the Canadian Agricultural Partnership program between March 22nd and May 6th, 2019.

The Canadian Agricultural Partnership will be open for applications only for farming and food & beverage manufacturing sector. Eligible sub-sectors include wineries, breweries and licensed cannabis operations. Depending on the goals the Ontario agri-, food and beverage businesses can get up to $250,000 in non-repayable government funding. The following projects are eligible.

  • Equipment purchasing or upgrade to improve productivity
  • ERP or Supply Chain Management software implementation
  • Labour productivity planning
  • Ingredient efficiency and waste reduction
  • Marketing agri-food product in Canada and abroad
  • New product or process development
  • Food safety improvements, and more

If you are in the agri-food sector, check the eligibility of your business for government funding now. If you are not in the agri-food sector, forward this email to anyone you know in the agri-food industry.