Funding Opportunities for Beekeepers
Business Funding Resources
AgPal Program and Service Finder
AgPal helps farmers and agri-businesses find relevant resources by gathering agricultural information and presenting it all in one place. Search and navigation tools make it quick and easy to find exactly what you are looking for. Find programs, services, market intelligence, research and more.
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Honey Bee Health Initiative
This NEW Honey Bee Health Initiative, provided through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP) and delivered by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), is to help support beekeepers in maintaining healthy honey bee colonies as well as grow their number of colonies to increase the sustainability of the beekeeping industry in Ontario.
Beginning September 15, 2023, eligible Ontario beekeepers can apply for cost-share funding for operational improvements that reduce biosecurity risks, overwintering loss, and to manage or prevent the introduction and spread of honey bee pests and diseases. The purchase of disease-free honey bee stock, including queens and queen cells, nucleus colonies, full size colonies and honey bee packages will also be supported.
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Winterloss Insurance
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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Honey Production Insurance
Production Insurance protects Ontario producers from yield reductions and production losses caused by factors beyond their control, including adverse weather, disease, pests, wildlife or other uncontrollable natural perils.
When you enrol in the Production Insurance plan for honey, you are guaranteed a level of production based on your yield history and the level of coverage you choose. If an insured peril causes your actual yield or extracted honey to be below your guaranteed production, a production claim may be paid on the difference.
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Fair Finance Fund
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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Carrot Cache
Over the last 25 years Carrot Cache granted over $2.6 million to organizations and individuals. It invested $65,000 in non-voting shares in other co-operatives and loaned and received back over $243,000. These monies are given to people who are working on organic agriculture initiatives and developing regional food economies. Carrot Cache is interested in growing the sector and sustaining the web of connections necessary for long term success. At the same time Carrot Cache supports groups interested in social justice and food security.
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Small Business Grant
If you’re starting, expanding or buying a small business, apply for training, mentoring and a grant through Starter Company Plus. How new or existing small businesses can get advice, support and information on government regulations.
These supports are available if you want to start a new company, expand an existing company or buy a business in Ontario.
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Starter Company +
The SC+ program is an advanced 4 month program designed to source out pain points within your business; define and design a customized implementation plan with the possibility of up to $5000 in grant funding to get the problem solved so you can get back to building your business!
Check with your local business centre to get information about the Starter Company + program in your region.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/small-business-enterprise-centre-locations
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Business Grants & Financing
Grants, loans, private and public sector financing and leveraging personal assets.
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Ontario Business Grants
Find grants, loans & more for your Ontario business. Search by topic, location, design, etc.
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Energy Management/Cost Programs
For large to small businesses, manage your energy costs through one of these programs.
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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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Canada Digital Adoption Program
How Canadians do business has changed. To stay competitive and grow, small and medium-sized businesses need to adopt new digital tools.
In Budget 2021, the Government of Canada announced the $4 billion Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) to help get your business online, give your e-commerce presence a boost or help digitalize your business's operations.
CDAP provides funding and support to businesses, as well as training and work opportunities for young Canadians.
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Boost Your Business Technology
The Boost Your Business Technology grant offers Canadian-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) support to adopt new technologies in order to increase competitiveness and resilience.
Boost Your Business Technology can help get your business online, give your e-commerce presence a boost, or digitalize your business's operations. These grants are designed to help Canadian businesses become more competitive.
In addition to helping your business scale up its technology and become more resilient and competitive, the program also offers wage subsidies to hire youth to support the implementation of new technology and strategies.
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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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Hire a Young Person
Hire a young person through Employment Service, Youth Job Connection or Youth Job Connection Summer – see how these programs can benefit you as an employer and learn more about new financial incentives for small businesses.
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Canada Summer Jobs
Canada Summer Jobs provides wage subsidies to employers from not-for-profit organizations, the public sector, and private sector organizations with 50 or fewer full-time employees, to create quality summer work experiences for young people aged 15 to 30 years.
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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.
