Funding Opportunities for Beekeepers
Business Funding Resources
CAP Producer Funding for Apiculture
There are 2 streams of funding:
Honey Bee Health Management
Projects will focus on equipment, new construction or modifications to existing beekeeping equipment, as well as adopting or implementing practices to prevent the introduction and spread of honey bee pests and disease within a beekeeping operation.
Up To $3,500 for small operations, Up To $10,000 for commercial operations
Advancing Beekeeper Business Capacity
To diversify and build beekeeper business capacity through support for: bee breeding for pest/disease resistance; development or marketing of niche/retail products; or pollination services expansion.
Up To $3,500, Up To $10,000 for commercial operations
Up To $3,500 for small operations, Up To $10,000 for commercial operations
Advancing Beekeeper Business Capacity
To diversify and build beekeeper business capacity through support for: bee breeding for pest/disease resistance; development or marketing of niche/retail products; or pollination services expansion.
Up To $3,500, Up To $10,000 for commercial operations
Check out this promotional video for the funding program. This stream of funding will end soon. Take advantage now!
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General CAP Funding for Farmers & Processors
The Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the Partnership) provides cost-share funding support to farmers and other businesses (plant health). Funding is available for key priority areas, which include: research and innovation, economic development, environmental stewardship and protection and assurance.
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Digital Main Street - Shop Here
ShopHERE provides independent small businesses and artists with a quick, easy and no-cost way to get selling online right away. Digital Main Street is collaborating with Google, Shopify, Mastercard and Microsoft to build and optimize online stores for small independent businesses and artists in just a matter of days.
Requirements:
- It is a registered business, or a registered non-profit organization.
- It has a commercial location or is home-based.
- It has fewer than ten employees or fewer than 25 employees if a restaurant or bar.
- It is not a corporate chain or franchise.
- Or must be an artist.*Eligible businesses and artists must be located in Ontario or a participating municipality.
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Agri-Food Workplace Protection Program
The governments of Canada and Ontario are helping agri-food businesses address new and immediate health and safety issues directly related to COVID-19 impacts.
Project Category 1: Occupational Health and Safety Measures
For projects to implement occupational health and safety measures related to COVID-19 on farms with intensive use of labour
Project Category 2: Enhancing Healthy Workforce Access and Accommodation
Purpose of Project Category
For projects to address workforce access and accommodations as a result of an on-farm outbreak of COVID-19
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The Mandatory Isolation Support for Temporary Foreign Workers Program (MISTFWP) is a one-time $50-million program to help with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food supply in Canada by assisting the farming, fish harvesting, and food production and processing sectors. The program will assist Canadian employers with some of the incremental costs associated with the mandatory 14-day isolation period imposed under the Quarantine Act on temporary foreign workers upon entering Canada.
The MISTFWP will provide a maximum non-repayable contribution amount of $1,500 for each temporary foreign worker. Should an applicant receive assistance from a provincial or territorial government to help cover these costs, or the $1,500 exceeds their incremental costs per employee, the total contribution may be reduced.
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Canada-Ontario Job Grant
Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG) provides opportunities for employers, individually or in groups, to invest in their workforce, with help from the government.
The Canada-Ontario Job Grant provides direct financial support to individual employers or employer consortia who wish to purchase training for their employees. It is available to small, medium and large businesses with a plan to deliver short-term training to existing and new employees.
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Youth Employment and Skills Program
The Youth Employment and Skills Program provides a wage subsidy to employers who hire youth for agricultural jobs. The program offers support for 50% of wages to a maximum of $14,000. Additionally, the program offers 100% of costs for relocation to a maximum of $5,000 if the employee must relocate for the position.
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Production Insurance protects Ontario producers from losses caused by factors beyond their control. The bee health plan covers colony losses caused by insured perils that occur during the overwinter period.
Production Insurance is part of the suite of programs available under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. In most plans, producers pay 40 per cent of the total premium cost and none of the administration cost. Together, the federal and provincial governments contribute the other 60 per cent. Administrative costs are fully funded by both levels of government.
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The Fair Finance Fund is a non-profit social finance fund dedicated to providing loans and mentorship services to local food and farm enterprises that value strong local food systems, local economies, and a healthy planet.
Building on seed capital, the Fair Finance Fund implements an ongoing investment opportunity for community-minded investors, that is, individuals and institutions who want to invest their capital to build local food systems in Ontario to support food that is grown, raised, and processed in their backyards.
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The Government of Canada is taking immediate, significant and decisive action to support Canadians and businesses facing hardship as a result of the global COVID-19 outbreak.
