Greenbelt Funding – Up to 50% Funding to Support Local Agri-Food Projects – April 26 DEADLINE | Chatham-Kent Agri-Development – We Grow for the World

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Greenbelt Funding – Up To 50% Funding To Support Local Agri-Food Projects – April 26 DEADLINE

on April 20 | in Ag News | by Jodie Deprez | with No Comments

The Greenbelt Fund administers a $6M funding program called the Local Food Investment Fund to help Ontario farmers and producers, food processors, food retailers, and agri not-for-profits improve regional supply chains and promote locally sourced food.

Greenbelt Grant Summary:

Amount:
- Up to 50% grant; however, 30% is most common
Eligible Applicants:
- Public or private sector organizations with sufficient ability to execute the project
- Able to contribute at least half of the total project expenses
Eligible Projects & Goals: Applicants can apply under one of three streams:
- Market Access:
  - Increase the amount of Ontario food products purchased by Ontario’s retailers, wholesalers, and foodservice operators via local food aggregators and local processors.
  - Increase Ontario farmers’ and processors’ access to new market channels through increased knowledge of supply chain requirements, enhanced access to aggregation services, and value-added local food processing.
- Broader Public Sector: Increase the amount of Ontario food products purchased by Ontario’s broader public sector (municipalities, colleges, universities, school boards, and hospital foodservice).
- Local Food Literacy: Enhance the capacity of the agri-food sector (farms, processors, distributors, and others) to access the broader public sector foodservice industry to highlight the availability and increase purchases of local products.
Eligible Expenses:
- Capital equipment
- Hardware and Software
- Communication Costs
- Consulting Costs
- Travel Costs
- See our key blog post on program details and eligibility criteria for Greenbelt.
Timelines:
- Next Project Inquiry/Overview Intake closes April 26, 2017
  - Projects selected to move on to a full application will be invited forward approximately 2-4 weeks later
- Project Start Date: July 26, 2017
- This grant will fund select retroactive expenses.
- Projects must be completed by January 31, 2018 at the latest.