Eligibility

Check if you meet the criteria to apply.

Eligibility checklist

You must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible.

You're one of the following organization types:
- For-profit organization that is incorporated in Canada, including:
  - partnership
  - corporation
  - co-operative
Examples may include small and medium-sized processors or distributors, logistics firms, and independent grocers.
- Not-for-profit organization, including:
  - industry association
  - co-operative
  - local community, charitable, or voluntary organization
  - provincial / territorial / municipal governments and agencies with a commercial operating model and/or a private sector partner(s)
Examples include producer co-operatives and regional food hubs
- Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, Métis)^{note 1} organization, including:
  - First Nations, Inuit, or Métis community or government
  - First Nations, Inuit, or Métis not-for-profit association
  - First Nations, Inuit, or Métis not-for-profit organization
  - First Nations, Inuit, or Métis for-profit organization
You're involved, or appropriately placed to become involved, in activities related to the aggregation, processing, storage, and distribution of locally grown and/or processed foods
You're a legal entity capable of entering into legally binding agreements

You need to meet all the eligibility criteria to qualify for the program.

Ineligible applicants include:

financial institutions
academic and educational institutions
foreign governments
foreign organizations

Eligible activities

Activities must be related to expanding and modernizing the existing network of food hubs and distribution systems to improve aggregation, processing, storage, and distribution options for producers and independent retailers.

Eligible activities relate to the establishment or expansion of a food hub, including:

purchasing and/or upgrading equipment to collect, aggregate, store, analyze (quality control), process, pack, sell, distribute, and/or transport food
purchasing materials and supplies to support infrastructure projects (for example, costs related to the installation of funded equipment)
purchasing and/or upgrading digital infrastructure, including supply chain management, e-commerce, and point-of-sale (POS) platforms
feasibility studies and supply chain mapping that includes operational improvements that integrate independent and regional distribution networks
construction, expansion, building retrofit and/or modernization of facilities
other activities associated with the collection, storage, aggregation, processing, and delivery of food from local producers to markets (stores, restaurants, institutions, and consumers), such as food safety and traceability improvements, product grading and sorting, packing and labelling, producer onboarding and coordination, and market development activities

Indigenous applicants may also be eligible for the following additional activities:

Capacity building and development

Including Indigenous-led market research, capacity building and market development

Risk and assurance

Activities focused on Indigenous approaches to developing and maintaining risk management and assurance systems, including:
- traditional ecological knowledge initiatives
- safe, sustainable resource management projects that integrate and revitalize traditional practices

Traditional knowledge and knowledge sharing

Activities to educate and increase awareness of Indigenous agriculture and food systems traditions, practices, and knowledge
Activities intended to revitalize and share traditional agricultural knowledge and increase community agricultural involvement and capacity to grow, forage, harvest, and process traditional, local and healthy foods and medicines
Indigenous developed and focused skills training initiatives relating to country foods, medicines, and plant knowledge

Ineligible activities

Applicants whose primary line of business is not operating a food hub must propose a project that expands and modernizes the existing network of food hubs and their distribution systems. The following activities would not be eligible as standalone projects:

construction or equipment purchases to increase a food processor’s production capacity
construction or equipment purchases to increase a retailer’s capacity
purchasing food

Eligible costs

In the first year of the program, (2026-27), costs may be eligible from the date of announcement of the Food-Link Fund, June 11, 2026. In subsequent years, costs will be eligible from the date you submit a full application (as confirmed by the program).

Costs incurred before the cost eligibility date and after the project completion date (as established by the program) will not be reimbursed. Those costs will not be considered part of your cost-share.

Costs incurred after the application is deemed complete, but prior to the signing of a contribution agreement by both parties, will be incurred solely at the applicant's risk without any obligation of reimbursement by the program.

Eligible costs are project expenses that fall within the set program cost categories and respect all program limitations.

To be considered eligible, all costs must:

be included in the project application form budget
be related to the activities included in the work plan
be reasonable, necessary, and essential to achieving project objectives
fall within the work plan activities timeframe

Eligible costs include but aren't limited to the following:

capital assets
contracted services
salaries and benefits
administration (limited to 10% of total eligible costs)
other direct costs for project-related deliverables

Indigenous applicants may also be eligible for support for the following additional costs:

As customary, costs for Indigenous Peoples-related honoraria (for example, Indigenous Elders' guidance and counselling and mentor wages under youth projects)
Inclusion of the treatment of Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers as being on par with professional standards of accreditation demonstrating the required level of expertise (for example, doctor, lawyer, or engineer)
Indigenous-specific expenditures related to cultural activities (for example, Indigenous gifting, ceremonial feasts, etc.)
Additional costs associated with travel or accommodation in northern and remote regions may be reimbursed
- A northern community is any community in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon as well as the northern part of seven provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador), including all of Inuit Nunangat
- A remote community is defined as one with no or little access to the services of the closest community with more than 1,000 residents and/or one that is without year-round road access
- Exceptions can also be made (with a rationale) for a higher administrative cost of 15%, as required, for Indigenous recipients due to higher costs in northern and remote regions

For more information and details on cost categories, eligible costs, limitations and instructions, refer to Eligible costs (Complete the application and apply).

Ineligible costs

Costs that are not eligible for funding include, but are not limited to:

labour costs, other than the internal salary and benefits directly tied to the development and execution of the project
capital items not specifically required for the execution of the project
costs related to activities that are deemed to be part of normal business practice
travel^{note 2}
hospitality^{note 2}
goodwill
legal fees
contingency fees
refundable portion of the Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST), value-added taxes, or other recoverable amounts
entertainment, gifts, and charitable donations^{note 2}
costs to prepare the application package, contribution agreement, or related program documents
any portion of any cost that, in AAFC's opinion, exceeds the fair market value for that item
any cost, such as amortization, that would not result in a direct, out-of-pocket expense for the recipient
costs being reimbursed under an existing federal, provincial, or territorial program
any other expenditure not specifically listed as eligible or otherwise approved as eligible

Expected results

Your application must show how project activities support the specific outcomes and outputs listed below:

Increase the availability of food distribution infrastructure (that is, the physical and digital networks, storage hubs, and transport systems that move food from farms to retailers and communities)
Enhance the use of food hubs by small and medium-sized agri-food businesses and independent retailers
Strengthen supply chains

Notes

Note 1

AAFC is committed to engaging and fostering meaningful relationships with Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit). Recognizing that Indigenous Peoples have unique and diverse realities, perspectives and needs associated to agriculture and agri-food, the program was designed to be inclusive of Indigenous groups.

If you're unsure whether the program is the right fit for your Indigenous group, the Indigenous Pathfinder Service can help you navigate information, tools, and programming available to start or expand activities in the agriculture and agri-food sector.

Privacy notice statement – call centre

We collect personal information from callers and call centre agents to respond to inquiries regarding agriculture and agri-food sector support programs and services and to facilitate program delivery.

Please note that all calls are recorded. Calls may also be monitored by a manager through a listen-in feature, which is only used for quality assurance purposes.

The collection and use of this information is authorized under the Financial Administration Act and the applicable legislation for the program you are inquiring about, including, but not limited to, the Farm Income Protection Act.

We use personal information to:

identify you, and where required, verify your program participation
respond to your inquiry and provide guidance or services
refer your inquiry to the appropriate program official for resolution
document and manage requests and interactions
administer and deliver Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) programs
improve service delivery and internal processes
monitor call centre agent performance and adherence to call centre policies and procedures
conduct program evaluation, reporting, and quality assurance

Caller information is stored in a Government of Canada–approved cloud solution managed by a vendor under contract with AAFC, with data securely stored in Canada.

The collection of personal information is described in Standard Personal Information Bank (PIB) PSU 914 (Public Communication) and in the program-specific PIB related to the program you are inquiring about, including, but not limited to, the PIB specific to AgriStability and AgriInvest (see Net Income Stabilization Account, PIB PPU 183). Personal information is retained for 2 years and then destroyed, unless it is used for program delivery purposes, in which case it is retained in accordance with the retention period specified in the applicable program-specific PIB.

Under the Privacy Act, you have the right to request access to, and correction of, your personal information. To exercise these rights, you may contact the Access to Information and Privacy Office at aafc.atip-aiprp.aac@agr.gc.ca.

You also have the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if you believe your personal information has been handled improperly.

If you're an Indigenous applicant, you can contact the Indigenous Pathfinder Service for additional support by email at aafc.indigenouspathfinder-explorateurautochtone.aac@agr.gc.ca or telephone: 1-866-367-8506.

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Note 2

Cost may be considered eligible for Indigenous recipients.

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