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
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
 
  

Agri-Food Open for E-Business

The Agri-Food Open for E-Business targeted intake will help businesses/organizations quickly expand their marketing channels and respond to new market challenges, increase online sales in the sector and provide consumers with access to more local food.
*N.B. Due to high demand, the intake has been paused while applications that have already been submitted as of May 25, 2020 at 2:30 p.m. are reviewed and funding decisions are made. If funding is still available following the review of the remaining applications, the ministry will re-open this targeted application intake.
 
This targeted application intake features two funding streams:
  • Bring Your Business Online: Provides a grant of up to $5,000 to eligible organizations/businesses to help establish an online presence.
  • Develop Online Business Opportunities: Provides cost-share funding for up to 90 per cent of eligible costs to a maximum of $75,000 to develop e-business opportunities on a larger scale.

 

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. 

 

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
 
 

Emergency Processing Fund

The Emergency Processing Fund (EPF) is a one-time, federal investment of up to $77.5 million to help companies implement changes to safeguard the health and safety of workers and their families due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund also aims to aid companies to invest to improve, automate and modernize facilities needed to increase Canada’s food supply capacity.
  • Objective 2 - Strategic Investments (funded with repayable contributions). 
    For example: improvements or modernization of food processing or manufacturing facilities to manage surplus stock; increase production; or that are operating at less than full capacity or closed.

 

Mandatory Isolation Support for TFW

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.
 
 

Grassroots Growth Program

The Grassroots Growth Program (GGP) provides funding for projects that create broader opportunities and greater benefits for the agri-food sector and rural communities in Ontario.
 
Eligible projects must support at least one or more of the following objectives:
  • increase public engagement and support for agriculture, local food and rural development
  • build youth leadership capacity and increase youth involvement in the agri-food sector
  • enhance safety and risk management practices in the agri-food sector
  • strengthen public trust and public knowledge about Ontario’s agri-food systems
  • encourage agri-food and rural development outcomes

 

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. 
 
 

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.
  
 
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.
 
 
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.