AgriCompetitiveness Program: Step 5. Complete the application and apply

Step 5. Complete the application and apply

The application form has 10 sections. Complete each section.

Note: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) uses the information you give in the application form to determine if your project is eligible.

Annex A: How to complete the application form

1. Project information

AAFC will use the information in this section, in association with your project activities and budget, to determine the eligibility of your project.

Project title

Provide a short, descriptive project title that accurately reflects the activities and results of the project.

Project objective

Provide a concise summary of your project. How would you describe your project in an "elevator pitch," to a friend or colleague, or on social media? What is the overall goal of the project? What does the project aim to achieve?

Briefly describe the main action items and how you will know the project has achieved its goal.

Complete this question after the proposal is fully developed so that it can summarize the action items and desired outcomes.

Please note that if your project is chosen for funding, this summary may be published on Government of Canada websites.

Project description

This overview leads to the details you provide in the project activities. Your answer should provide the following information:

Need

What market gap or commercial need important to the industry and Canada does your project aim to fill?
How does your project fill the need?

Objective

What is the long-term objective and how does undertaking this project contribute to achieving it?
How does your project align with the program objectives?
How do you plan to achieve the objectives of the project?

Outcome/Impact

What are the potential outcomes and how will they help build trust and confidence in the sector or industry?
What could be the short- and long-term impacts on the industry if this project is not pursued? Why?

Risks

What challenges could prevent you from completing your project and how will you mitigate them?

Organization Capacity - project

Refer to past AAFC funded projects. If no projects have been funded by AAFC, refer to other projects of similar scale that your organization has delivered in the past.

This long-form answer should address the following questions:

• How difficult or complex is the project?
• How will its activities be achieved and monitored?
• What management controls, human resources and technical capacity do you have to ensure this proposed project will be successful?
• How will you ensure that you report regularly and accurately on the progress of the project against your work plan and budget forecasts?
• What financial controls will you have in place to ensure proper financial management of the project?
• How will you ensure that expenses submitted to AAFC are accurate and can be properly assessed to determine eligibility?
• If your organization received prior funding from AAFC, briefly describe the results of the previous projects, the level of complexity or expertise used for past projects and their results.

Primary project location

Enter the address where the project will take place.

If there are multiple project locations, for the primary location, enter the address for the project location where activities associated to the largest portion of the budget will take place.

Environmental considerations

The purposes of the Impact Assessment Act (Justice Canada) (IAA) include ensuring that projects to be carried out on federal lands or outside Canada are considered in a careful and precautionary manner in order to avoid adverse environmental effects. Before AAFC provides financial assistance for the purpose of enabling a project on federal lands to proceed, it must determine whether the carrying out of the project, in whole or in part, is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. To help you answer the questions in the project application form, examples and more information follow.

A. Is the proposal a "project" as defined by the IAA?

Examples of projects include:

• construction of a greenhouse
• installation of a permanent irrigation system
• building construction or demolition
• any other activity related to a permanent human-made work

Activities that are not considered projects include:

• administrative or marketing activities
• workshops
• training or hiring staff
• installation of temporary or portable systems
• any other activity not related to a physical work

B. Where does the project take place?

AAFC has certain obligations under the IAA, if providing financial assistance to projects on federal land. Under the IAA, "federal lands" means:

1. lands that belong to His Majesty in right of Canada, or that His Majesty in right of Canada has the power to dispose of, and all waters on and airspace above those lands, other than lands under the administration and control of the Commissioner of Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut;
2. the following lands and area:
   1. the internal waters of Canada, in any area of the sea not within a province,
   2. the territorial sea of Canada, in any area of the sea not within a province,
   3. the exclusive economic zone of Canada, and
   4. the continental shelf of Canada; and
3. reserves, surrendered lands and any other lands that are set apart for the use and benefit of a band and that are subject to the Indian Act, and all waters on and airspace above those reserves or lands.

If you answer "Yes" or "Unsure" to Question A and "Federal lands or lands outside Canada" or "Reserves, surrendered land or other land set apart for the use and benefit of a band and that are subject to the Indian Act" to Question B, further assessment may be required by AAFC. AAFC will contact you as necessary.

Project data collection

Your answers to questions under the Project Data Collection will be used for reporting and program planning purposes, and will not impact the success of the application.

North American Industry Classification System

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is an industry classification system developed by the statistical agencies of Canada, Mexico and the United States.

For more information, visit North American Industry Classification System (Statistics Canada).

AAFC has selected the NAICS identifiers that best suit this program for reporting purposes. To simplify the selection process, we have sorted the codes into the following categories:

• Other

We recognize that not all projects will fit perfectly into one identifier; if this is the case for your project, select the identifier that best applies to the overall intent of your project, or the identifier that best applies to the activity with the highest dollar value.

Select any of the following groups who will directly benefit from the project's activities

Indigenous peoples

The collective name for the original peoples of Canada and their descendants and consists of distinct, rights-bearing communities comprising First Nations peoples, Inuit, and Metis.

First Nations — are a people composed of many different nations having their own origin, history and culture, and whose members have called North America home for thousands of years. First Nations include status and non-status Indians.

Métis — are a people whose members are of mixed First Nations and European ancestry, are united by a common origin, history and culture, and are generally accepted by the Métis Nation.

Inuit — are a people that inhabit or that traditionally inhabited the northern regions and Arctic coasts of Canada known as Inuit Nunangat, and whose members are united by a common origin, history and culture.

Indigenous organizations may include:

• Aggregated Indigenous entities (as self-defined by Indigenous groups, could be linked by cultural or linguistic background, geographical area or historical treaty lines);
• Associations;
• National and regional Indigenous organizations;
• Indigenous non-governmental and voluntary associations and organizations, including non-profit organizations and corporations; and
• Self-governing Indigenous governments.

Persons with disabilities

The Employment Equity Act defines "persons with disabilities" as persons who have a long-term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric or learning impairment and who

1. consider themselves to be disadvantaged in employment by reason of that impairment, or
2. believe that an employer or potential employer is likely to consider them to be disadvantaged in employment by reason of that impairment, and includes persons whose functional limitations owing to their impairment have been accommodated in their current job or workplace.

Members of Visible Minorities

The Employment Equity Act defines "members of visible minorities" as persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.

Women

One of many gender identities. Includes all people who identify as women.

Youth

Individuals aged 39 and under.

2SLGBTQI+

Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and other people who identify as part of sexual and gender diverse communities who use additional terminologies.^{Endnote 1}

Not Applicable

Use this selection if the question is not relevant to your organization.

Decline to identify

Use this selection if you do not want to disclose this information at the time of your application.

Previously received funding

Has your organization received any funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada within the last 6 years?

Indicate if your organization has received funding from AAFC within the last 6 years. If yes, and if known, list:

1. the program(s) your organization received funding from,
2. the name of the projects, and
3. the amount received.

Official languages

AAFC is committed to enhancing the vitality of official language minority communities (OLMCs), supporting and assisting their development, and promoting the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society.

Do the project activities have the potential to reach an audience of both English speakers and French speakers?

OLMCs consist of Francophones outside Quebec and Anglophones in Quebec. These communities are often represented by provincial and regional organizations.

Would the project activities specifically target an official language minority community (French speakers outside Quebec or English speakers in Quebec)?

When we find that projects under this program involve activities related to the development and transfer of knowledge and may have an impact on OLMCs or promote the use of English and French, we will include appropriate commitments in agreements with your organization and additional expenses incurred as a result of these commitments will be considered eligible for contribution funding.

Activities can include, but are not limited to:

• Communications
  • Project web pages and/or project social media account(s) produced and maintained in both official languages
  • Project materials offered in both official languages (brochures, kits, handouts, newsletters, reports, etc.)
  • Directional and educational signs produced in both official languages
  • Project-related advertisement in OLMC media (newspapers, radio, social media)
  • Bilingual coordinator or other contractor hired to help deliver project-related activities in both official languages (for example, master of ceremony for a project event, workshop facilitator or simultaneous translator)
  • Distribution of invitations in both official languages
  • Knowledge transfer activities
• Outreach
  • One or more OLMCs are included in the project target groups (for example, as in-kind or cash partners in project budget or to be invited to project events)
  • Other groups representing OLMCs are consulted to see if there is any potential for involvement on their end
  • Travel to or from OLMCs (costs associated with these project activities included in project budget)

If your project is funded, your organization will be required to publicly acknowledge AAFC's support for the project. In these cases, we may request that such acknowledgments include text in both official languages.

2. Project team

Review the contact information for project team members and edit if necessary. There is a maximum of five (5) project team members per project. Any Project Team Member can create and edit project application forms, submit direct deposit information and submit payment request and performance reports to AAFC.

3. Organization or business

AAFC uses the information you provide in this section to confirm your organization's identity and to verify your organization's eligibility for funding based on a valid CRA business number.

Refer to Eligible applicants to determine if your organization is eligible under this program.

Legal name of your organization

Your organization's legal name, as it appears in legal documents such as articles of incorporation, certificate of incorporation, etc.

Operating as (if used)

Enter the name under which your organization operates, if that name is different from its legal name.

Acronym (if used)

Enter the acronym your organization uses, if different from legal and operating name.

CRA business number

Enter the first 9 digits of your 15-digit Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number.

Example: 123456789 RR 0001

For more information, visit Business number (CRA).

If you do not have a CRA Business Number, click off the checkbox "The organization or business does not have a Business Number" and indicate why you do not have a business number. Note, you will need to provide one if approved for funding.

Organization or business type

Your answer to this question must be one (1) of the following:

• Not-for-profit
• Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit)

Applicant Type – Additional information

You must select one (1) of the options listed. Refer to Eligible applicants to see the list of eligible applicants.

Headquarters address

Enter the complete address, main e-mail address and main phone number of your organization's headquarters or regional headquarters.

Mailing Address

Enter the mailing address if different from the Headquarters' address.

Organizational capacity - organization

AAFC will use the information you provide in this section to understand more about your organization and to assess your ability to carry out this project.

How many employees work for your organization?

Include the number of all full-time and part-time employees on your organization's payroll. Do not include contractors.

Describe your organization (for example, when it was established, the mandate/mission, and who it serves.)

Include your organization's mandate/mission, priorities, and who it serves. Provide a brief history of your organization including when it was established and any significant changes in the past 2 years (for example, a significant increase/decrease of staff, changes to executive leadership, including the Board of Directors, a change in mandate).

Responses to the remaining organizational capacity question will be used for reporting and program planning purposes, and will not impact the success of the application.

Does the mandate/mission of your organization target any of the following groups? (Select all that apply)

Indigenous peoples

The collective name for the original peoples of Canada and their descendants and consists of distinct, rights-bearing communities comprising First Nations peoples, Inuit, and Metis.

First Nations — are a people composed of many different nations having their own origin, history and culture, and whose members have called North America home for thousands of years. First Nations include status and non-status Indians.

Métis — are a people whose members are of mixed First Nations and European ancestry, are united by a common origin, history and culture, and are generally accepted by the Métis Nation.

Inuit — are a people that inhabit or that traditionally inhabited the northern regions and Arctic coasts of Canada known as Inuit Nunangat, and whose members are united by a common origin, history and culture.

Indigenous organizations may include:

• Aggregated Indigenous entities (as self-defined by Indigenous groups, could be linked by cultural or linguistic background, geographical area or historical treaty lines);
• Associations;
• National and regional Indigenous organizations;
• Indigenous non-governmental and voluntary associations and organizations, including non-profit organizations and corporations; and
• Self-governing Indigenous governments.

Persons with disabilities

The Employment Equity Act defines "persons with disabilities" as persons who have a long-term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric or learning impairment and who

1. consider themselves to be disadvantaged in employment by reason of that impairment, or
2. believe that an employer or potential employer is likely to consider them to be disadvantaged in employment by reason of that impairment,

and includes persons whose functional limitations owing to their impairment have been accommodated in their current job or workplace.

Members of Visible Minorities

The Employment Equity Act defines "members of visible minorities" as persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.

Women

One of many gender identities. Includes all people who identify as women.

Youth

Individuals aged 39 and under.

2SLGBTQI+

Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and other people who identify as part of sexual and gender diverse communities who use additional terminologies.^{Endnote 1}

Not Applicable

Use this selection if the question is not relevant to your organization.

Decline to identify

Use this selection if you do not want to disclose this information at the time of your application.

Is your organization majority owned (50% or more) by one or more of the following groups? (Select all that apply)

See the information above for groups included in the previous question, as well as the following group:

Gender parity

A minimum of 50% women and/or non-binary individuals.

Non-binary

A person whose gender identity does not align with a binary understanding of gender such as man or woman. It is a gender identity which may include man and woman, androgynous, fluid, multiple, no gender, or a different gender outside of the "woman—man" spectrum.

Does your organization's Board of Directors have a diverse composition with significant representation (30% or more) from one or more of the following groups? (Select all that apply)

See the information above for groups included in the previous 2 questions.

Does your organization have a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan or a Human Resources Plan that supports diversity, equity and inclusion?

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Plan

An employment equity plan addresses under-representation of marginalized groups such as Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, women, youth, LGBTQ2+ people, and official language minority people and employment barriers they may face. A Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan goes beyond an employment equity plan to address under-representation and employment barriers for equity and equity seeking groups to advance diversity, equity and inclusion commitments in the workplace.

Human resources plan that supports DEI

A plan that links human resources management to the organizations overall strategic and operational plans and includes objectives to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.

Does your organization commit to the 50 - 30 Challenge: Your Diversity Advantage?

The 50 – 30 Challenge Prospectus is an initiative co-created by the Government of Canada, civil society and the private sector that aims to attain gender parity and significant representation (at least 30%) of other under-represented groups on boards and senior management positions in order to build a more diverse, inclusive, and vibrant economic future for Canadians.

The challenge will allow a variety of organizations to participate across 3 program streams including small and medium-sized enterprises and non-profit organizations, and those without Boards of Directors or senior management teams. The Challenge includes:

1. Organizations that meet the Challenge
2. Organizations that are working towards the Challenge.

For more information, please visit: The 50 — 30 Challenge: Your Diversity Advantage (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada).

4. Activities

The Activities section is an important part of the application form for evaluation purposes. Include key milestones and indicate how you intend to measure performance and report on results.

The activities will be assessed to determine if they have been clearly planned and described, and if they are aligned with the project's goals, objectives and purpose.

In order to determine the budget numbers to enter into the application, you must first complete the Detailed project budget spreadsheet. The spreadsheet is available to download from the portal. Once the spreadsheet is completed, enter the data in the related areas within the application and attach the spreadsheet in the Documents section of the application.

Read the Instructions worksheet in the Detailed project budget spreadsheet for directions on how to fill it out before starting to enter data.

For each new activity, enter the project start date, the first day that work on the first activity will take place, and the project end date, the last day that work on the last activity will take place. The fiscal year begins April 1 and concludes March 31.

Each activity must be clearly defined and articulated.

• Activity Title

  Provide a short name for the activity that clearly indicates what it is. Activities and/or cost items names should point to what the activity or cost item is meant to accomplish.

• Start Date

  Enter the date that the individual activity will start.

• End Date

  Enter the date that the individual activity will finish.

• Description

  Provide a description of the activity which clearly outlines the activity that you would like to undertake. Your goal is to help the reviewers visualize what you want to do, so be specific. Keep in mind to answer the following questions (who, what, where, when, why, how).

  • Where and when will the project take place?
  • How long will it take to complete?
  • What are your methods for delivering the project?
  • What difference will the project make?
  • Who will participate/benefit?
  • What makes the activity worth funding?

  Your description should also provide assurances that your activity:

  • makes sense
  • is likely to be successful
  • will make a difference
• Goal

  For each activity, use the list of results in the drop-down list to select the goal you want to achieve from having undertaken the activity:

  • Building skills, knowledge, and best practices among industry members
  • Building leadership and facilitating knowledge transfer
  • Increasing business management and planning capacity
  • Promoting farm safety
  • Increasing public trust

Type of activity

• For each activity in your work plan, please select the activity type which best describes what you will be undertaking from the list below:
  • Communication/promotional materials
  • Conference
  • Workshop, seminar and/or meeting
  • Education program
  • Development of tools
  • Training and/or mentorship
  • Fairs and exhibitions
  • Other (please specify)
• Deliverables
  Provide a description of the deliverables of this activity. Deliverables are the tangible end results that will be provided upon the completion of the activity (such as, reports)
• Expected results
  Provide the measures for each of the expected results that apply for each individual activity that you plan on undertaking. Enter a numeric value for each expected result that applies. For expected results that do not apply, enter n/a.

The list of expected results will appear based on the selected activity type:

• Communication/promotional materials
  • Number of products created for distribution

    The total number of communication and/or promotional products that you created for distribution. These can include digital, print, or other forms of media products (TV, radio, etc.). This figure represents the number of unique products that were developed for your audience, and is not the frequency of their distribution. For example, 1 pamphlet provided to 500 people should be counted as 1 product.

  • Engagement rate

    The number of individuals who viewed your materials and either liked, shared, reacted, or commented on the communication. This may include click-through rates for any trackable links featured in the posting, such as a call-to-action to visit another webpage, to view a video or to sign up for more information. It does not include your normal social media followers.

  • Audience reach

    The number of unique individuals your materials are expected to reached, such as the number of people who will see a digital ad; the number of subscribers/readers for a magazine or newspaper; or the audience for a radio or television based campaign.

• Development of tools
  • Number of events that will use your tool(s)

    The total number of events that your tool was disseminated/distributed to. Events may include conferences, seminars, workshops, or sessions. For example, number of training sessions that used your tool (not the number of people that attended the event).

  • Number of participants accessing and downloading materials

    The total number of participants your tool has been shared with or who have accessed it. For example, number of downloads by members from your website.

  • Number of tools developed

    The total number of tools developed. This may include the development of new tools or the updating of an existing tool. Updates to existing tools must be incremental and represent sufficient change that the tool can be utilized differently and/or contain new content. Updates do not include: changes to the year it was delivered, increasing the frequency in which the tool is promoted or delivered, or changing the name of the tool.

• Annual conference — Workshop, seminar, and/or meeting — Education program — Training and/or mentorship — Fairs and exhibitions
  • Number of events by province

    The total number of events that were held, both virtually and in-person, each year, broken down by province where the event was hosted. For events that were totally virtual, the province with the most participants may be used.

  • Number of virtual participants by province

    The total number of people that participated in your event virtually, broken down by province.

  • Number of in-person participants by province

    The total number of people that participated in your event in-person, broken down by province.

  • Number of presentations/materials created for events

    The total number of presentations and/or materials that were created for your event. Presentations and/or materials can include: slide decks, brochures, one-pagers, activities, videos, or webpages that are distributed to or accessed by event participants. This figure represents the number of unique presentations/materials that were developed for your audience, and is not the frequency of their distribution. For example, 1 brochure provided to 500 people should be counted as 1 product.

Activity cost by fiscal year

In this section you must provide the AAFC and non-AAFC funding amounts for this activity by fiscal year. AAFC funding is the amounts that you are requesting from AAFC. Non-AAFC funding is the remainder of the activity funding coming from you, your industry or partner, and/or other government. The available fiscal years are determined by the activity start and end date.

Non-AAFC breakdown by funding source

In this section you must indicate where the Non-AAFC project funding is coming from for the activity. If in the Activity cost by fiscal year section, you denoted that there is a total of $1,000 coming from Non-AAFC sources, then you must breakdown how much of that amount is being funded by you, your industry or partner, and/or other government.

Eligible costs

To help you complete your budget, following is a list of eligible costs under this program and limitations or explanations related to those eligible costs.

Administrative costs

Administrative costs — Eligible cost items

Administrative costs are defined as the organizations' expenses (such as, fundamental operational costs); not directly related to undertaking the project activities but necessary for the organization to manage activities outlined in the work plan and to administer the reporting requirements of the contribution agreement, including project management costs.

Administrative fees will be calculated at a 10% flat rate that will be cost shared. Under the 10% flat rate, administrative cost items do not need to be detailed, negotiated or substantiated when submitting a claim. However, if subject to a compliance audit, the recipient may be asked to supply supporting documentation. For this purpose, it is important to keep in the mind the following examples.

Administrative costs means costs related to:

• project management costs: management and administrative staff wages not working on outcome of projects, including those who negotiate service contracts, pay the invoices, manage the project budget, monitoring and/or prepare the claims and any financial or progress/performance reports for the project
  • salaries, Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs), and benefits and/or contract services
• administrative office supplies and expenses
  • basic telephone fees (including fax lines) and cell phones
  • hydro
  • materials and office supplies (for example, pens, pencils, paper, envelopes, cleaning supplies, subscriptions)
  • monthly internet fees
  • postage and courier fees
  • office equipment (for example, computers, printers, photocopiers)
  • office space (rent) and related utilities, maintenance and property taxes
• audit fees (if eligible)
• bank fees (if eligible)
• insurance (fire, theft, liability) (if eligible)
• legal fees (if eligible)
• administrative information technology (IT) products and services, including maintenance
• other overhead type expenditures relating to the organization's office

Administrative costs — Limitations/Explanations

Do not include administration costs in your application; the application form will calculate it automatically at a 10% flat rate. This flat rate has been developed to represent the cost of undertaking the administration functions of the contribution agreement.

You may also choose to not claim administrative costs, and opt-out of the flat rate.

• To ease administrative burden, these costs do not need to be detailed at the time of application and will not be negotiated or need to be validated when submitting a claim
• These costs will be funded at the approved program cost-share ratio

Note: You are still required to keep all documentation of these costs. If you are subject to an audit, you will need to supply the supporting documents at that time.

Salaries and benefits

Salaries and benefits — Eligible cost items

Salaries and benefits paid to or on behalf of staff to execute activities outlined in the project work plan. These costs do not include completing financial or performance reports for the project.

• Including Mandatory Employment Related Costs (MERCs), Employment Insurance (EI), Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Quebec Pension Plan (QPP), vacation pay and benefits
• Benefits mean payments an employer is required to make by virtue of company policy or a collective agreement such as contributions to a group pension plan

Salaries and benefits — Limitations/Explanations

• Salaries and benefits must be additional to existing costs
• Timesheets must be maintained for employees who work less than 100% of their time on the project. If your application is successful, you should expect to complete timesheets for employees working on the project.
• For further clarification, salary and benefit costs do not include incentive amounts such as performance pay (for example, bonuses), or benefits that are considered perks, such as a gym membership or parking allowance
• Severances are not eligible
• Benefit costs must not exceed 25% of the eligible salary costs for each employee who works on the project

Contracted Services

Contracted Services — Eligible cost items

Professional or specialized services for which a contract is entered into, such as:

• inspection
• consultant/expert services
• installation/construction
• financial auditing (required for the project)
• environmental assessment
• research
• interpretation and translation services
• project management to undertake activities
• advertising, marketing and media planning agencies
• graphic design

Contracted Services — Limitations/Explanations

• A contract should be in place with the contractor, including payment terms and deliverables
• Recipients must use a fair and competitive or otherwise justifiable and generally accepted sound business process that results in competent and qualified contractors working on the project
• Materials developed for domestic activities must be available in French and English

Travel

Travel — Eligible cost items

Travel costs directly related to the project, such as:

• per diems (accommodations, meals, incidentals and taxis)
• transportation, such as airfare, rail and ground transportation
• hospitality
• the purchase of eligible carbon offset credits from a vendor that has received third-party verification and adheres to internationally agreed standards, including Gold Standard, VER+, VERRA (formerly VCS, Verified Carbon Standard), or B.C. Offset System

Travel — Limitations/Explanations

• When travel is approved, claimants have an option to claim for these expenses using one of the following options:
  • claim the established per diem or
  • claim actual expenses incurred which are less than the established per diem
• The per diems will contribute to covering the costs for individual travel including:
  • daily accommodation
  • meals
  • local or in-city transportation (buses, taxis, vehicle rentals, etc.)
  • ground transportation at the place of origin (parking, travel to and from the public carrier terminal)
  • entry documents (passports and visas)
  • insurance (all types)
  • required inoculations, vaccinations, x-rays and certificates of health
  • dependent care
  • incidentals (personal phone calls, laundry, gratuities, currency exchange fees, etc.)
• Whether using option (a) or (b), invoices for daily travel costs will not be required, however, proof of travel is required for the claim (for example, boarding pass, hotel invoice, trip report). Recipients must also keep all invoices and proof of payment per the terms of their Agreement.
• If using option (a), per diems can be claimed for every day on travel status as follows:
  • travel within Canada:
    • trip outside the traveler's headquarters with no overnight stay: $100 CAD/day
    • trip outside the traveler's headquarters with overnight stays: $400 CAD/day
  • travel outside Canada:
    • trip outside the traveler's headquarters with no overnight stay: $125 CAD/day
    • U.S. trip outside the traveler's headquarters with overnight stays: $475 CAD/day
    • international (non-U.S.) trip outside the traveler's headquarters with overnight stays: $575 CAD/day

      Note: For multi-day trips, day of departure and day of return is eligible for the overnight per diem rate

• The recipient may claim cost for air, rail and ground transportation (to an out-of-city destination that is more than 50km (100km roundtrip) outside of the city) for individual travel as follows:
  • Air:
    • Economy Class for domestic travel.
    • Economy or Premium Economy Class for international travel
    • Baggage costs, seat selection fees and reservation change fees are eligible

      If a higher class is purchased, proof of the flight's economy rate must be obtained for reimbursement purposes

  • Rail:
    • Next highest class after the full Economy class.
  • Private vehicle:
    • Kilometric rates ($0.575/km). Gas is included in the kilometric rate. Travelers shall use the most direct, safe and practical road routes and shall claim only for distances necessarily driven while on travel status
    • Tolls and parking at the destination
    • Private vehicle is not to be used if more expensive than rental, rail or air
  • Rental vehicle:
    • the cost for a mid-size vehicle (or the cost of a larger vehicle, based upon factors such as, but not limited to, safety, the needs of the traveler, and the bulk or weight of goods transported)
    • gas
    • parking at the destination and tolls
    • collision damage waiver
    • Any fuel service charges provided by the car rental company are not eligible
  • Bus or Motor Coach
    • A Bus/Motor Coach may be eligible based upon factors such as the needs of the traveler(s), and the bulk or weight of goods transported.
    • Entertainment and gifts are ineligible
    • The refundable portion of the GST, HST, value-added taxes, or other items for which a refund or rebate is eligible are ineligible
    • Banking charges and fees, such as interest and credit card fees are ineligible

Capital expenditures

Capital expenditures — Eligible cost items

Capital Assets are tangible assets that are purchased, constructed, developed or otherwise acquired and:

• are used in the production or supply of goods, the delivery of services or to produce program outputs
• are not intended for resale in the ordinary course of operations
• betterments (which are expenditures relating to the alteration or modernization of an asset that appreciably prolong the period of usefulness of the item or improve its functionality)
• the cost of which is considered to include the purchase price plus other acquisition costs, such as installation costs, freight charges, transportation insurance costs, duties, and the non-refundable portion of provincial sales taxes, GST/HST or other value-added taxes
• has a useful life in excess of 1 year

Capital expenditures — Limitations/explanations

• To be eligible, the capital expenditure must be directly required for the project
• Capital costs are limited to expenditures that are required for the execution of the project and are intended to be used on a continuing basis
• Capital costs over $10,000 need to be pre-approved
• Where several related assets are required, the cumulative cost of these assets should be considered as one and require pre-approval if over $10,000
• The purchase of land or buildings is an ineligible cost
• Minor assets and capital items not specifically required for the execution of a project are ineligible

Other direct project costs

Other direct project costs — Eligible cost items

Other costs for project-related deliverables, such as:

• shipping
• conference fees/registration fees
• construction material costs
• translation
• printing expenses
• marketing costs related to production of materials/documents/marketing plans
• recruitment of volunteers
• meeting room rentals, including audio-visual equipment rentals

Other direct project costs — Limitations/Explanations

• Entertainment, excessive hospitality, gifts, prizes and giveaways are ineligible
• Normal costs of establishing a commercial operation are ineligible
• The value of product samples purchased from a member and claimed to AAFC should normally be the member's production cost, not the retail price.

Ineligible project costs include, but are not limited to:

• costs not specifically required for the project
• the refundable portion of the GST, HST, value-added taxes, or other items for which a refund or rebate could be received
• banking charges and fees, such as interest and credit card fees
• business cards, seasonal greeting cards and subscriptions to publications
• memberships in trade and professional organizations
• normal costs of establishing a commercial operation
• legal fees associated with the incorporation of an organization
• the purchase of land or buildings
• costs being reimbursed under an existing federal, provincial, territorial or municipal program
• costs towards ongoing/regular communication with members, such as website and database maintenance, annual general meetings, and value-chain roundtables

Ineligible costs cannot be counted as cash contributions towards the project. The applicant and partners cannot include them in their share.

5. Funding sources

Complete this section after entering all project activities.

See Funding and cost sharing for information on cost-sharing, sources of funding, and government funding stacking limits. This is where you will indicate how you plan on funding your share of the project.

Under the funding sources section, enter your share of the cash and in-kind funding which will come from:

• You directly (your organization)
• Industry/partners (your members, industry partners, sponsors, etc.)
• Other government:
  • Other federal government departments, agencies, and crown corporations
  • Provincial/territorial government departments, agencies, and crown corporations
  • Municipal governments

Within each funding type, provide the name of the funding source.

In the description box, provide the necessary level of detail to indicate what activity and/or cost the specific funding is tied to.

6. Budget summary

Review all information in this section. The budget summary is calculated from the addition of all activities, and you must return to the Activities section to make any changes. Reminder: The amounts in the Detailed project budget document need to match the information presented in this section.

7. Documents

In addition to the application form, the following documents are required to be submitted to AAFC:

• Required: A copy of the organization's Certificate of Incorporation or Articles of Incorporation
  Certificates and Articles of Incorporation are issued and filed, respectively, by or with provincial, territorial or federal government that document the organization's status as a legal entity.
• If applicable: Additional options for Indigenous applicants
  A copy of a Band Council Resolution (BCR), a Tribal Council Resolution (TCR), a Director's Resolution (DR), or legal document stating they are a legal entity can be accepted as proof the organization is a legal entity.
• Required: A copy of the last 2 years' financial statements
  Statements for the last 2 years (can include most recent interim financial statement)
• Required: Strategic Plan for AgriCompetitiveness Program proposal
  Questionnaire
• Required: Detailed project budget
  The budget breakdown for each activity is required on the AAFC-provided Excel spreadsheet.
• Required: Project Endorsement Letters/ Letters of Support (if available, not a requirement)
  Letters of support from organizations indicating they believe there is a need for the proposed project and expressing hope that the proposed project will be accepted.
• If applicable: Capital Asset Pre-approval for Grants and Contributions Programs
  All capital asset purchases over $10,000 must be pre-approved by the program using the AAFC Capital Asset pre-approval template.

8. Contacts

Primary contact

Enter the contact information of the person in your organization who is responsible for responding to inquiries about this application.

Indicate if you are the primary contact or if you need to enter a new contact. If entering a new contact enter the following:

• First name and Last name
  Provide the name of the person in your organization who will be AAFC's primary contact about this application.
• Email address
  Provide the email of the primary contact. Please note AAFC will use this information to communicate with your organization about the application.

  You will also need to enter the following if you are the primary contact or if entering a new contact.

• Language of correspondence
  Provide the preferred language of the primary contact for written and verbal communication.
• Position title
  Provide the position title of the primary contact. For example, Business Owner, President, Executive Director.
• Phone numbers and Fax number
  Provide the telephone number(s) of the primary contact. If applicable, provide a fax number. Please note AAFC will use this information to communicate with your organization about the application.

Project contact

If your project is approved for funding, this is the person who will discuss the project with AAFC. This person can be the same as the Primary Contact.

Indicate if you are the project contact or if you need to enter a new contact. If entering a new contact enter the following:

• First name and Last name
  Provide the name of the person in your organization who will be AAFC's primary contact about this application.
• Email address
  Provide the email of the primary contact. Please note AAFC will use this information to communicate with your organization about the application.

  You will also need to enter the following if you are the primary contact or if entering a new contact.

• Language of correspondence
  Provide the preferred language, English or French, of the project contact for written and verbal communication.
• Position title
  Provide the position title of the project contact. For example, Business Owner, President, Executive Director.
• Phone numbers and Fax number
  Provide the telephone number(s) of the primary contact. If applicable, provide a fax number. Please note AAFC will use this information to communicate with your organization about the project.

9. Declarations

Read and complete the declarations.

10. Review and submit

After you complete your application form and include the additional documents, please submit your application.

If you have any trouble when you complete or submit the application, please contact the AAFC Contact Centre.