AgriAssurance Program – National Industry Association Component

• Detailed Project Budget
• Executive Summary
• Strategic Importance and Market Relevance
• Implementation Plan
• The organization's Certificates or Articles of Incorporation or alternative
• The last 2 years' financial statements
• Project Endorsement Letters / Letters of Support, if available
• Capital asset pre-approval for grants and contributions programs, if applicable

Who is eligible?

• National industry associations

Who is not eligible

• For-profit companies or organizations.
• Individuals or sole proprietorships.
• Businesses or entities that are not legally incorporated or do not have registered legal status.
• Organizations whose primary activities are not related to the agricultural or agri-food sector on a national scale.

Eligible expenses

• Administrative costs calculated at a fixed rate of 10%, including project management salaries, office supplies, rent, utilities, and related administrative expenses.
• Salaries and mandatory benefits for employees carrying out project activities.
• Professional or specialized contractual services (such as inspectors, consultants, research, translation, project management, and environmental assessments).
• Travel expenses directly related to the project, including accommodation, meals, transportation, and eligible per diems.
• Capital expenditures for equipment and assets necessary for the project (with a useful life of more than one year), provided expenditures over $10,000 are pre-approved.
• Direct project costs such as shipping, conference registration fees, construction materials, translation, printing costs, marketing materials, volunteer recruitment, and rental of meeting rooms or audio-visual equipment.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Costs incurred prior to AAFC approval or the project start date may not be reimbursed and may be solely the applicant's responsibility.

Eligible geographic areas

• Quebec-based applicants must address M-30 compliance during the assessment process and before entering into a contribution agreement.

• Applications are first assessed for completeness, project eligibility, alignment of activities and outcomes with program objectives, and identification of all funding sources, including in-kind support.
• Further review considers capacity to deliver the project, eligible and reasonable activities and costs, market opportunity or need, linkages to resiliency and public trust, progression from previous projects, sector impact over the next 5 to 10 years, and potential to achieve government priorities.
• Funding amounts are determined based on scope and duration, fair market value of eligible expenses, importance of activities, projected outcome, other funding sources, and due diligence in reporting performance results.

• Access your program information through the online services portal.
• Click the Grants and Contributions button.
• Choose a secure sign-in method and sign in or sign up.
• Start a new application process and complete the National Industry Association Component Application Form.
• Download, complete, and save the required forms, then upload the completed forms and required documents.
• Complete the application details and submit the complete application.

• An acknowledgement notice is sent after submission.
• Applications are verified for completeness and sufficient detail before a full assessment.
• If deemed incomplete, the application is put on hold and a notice is sent to request more detailed information.
• Assessors within AAFC, and in some cases other federal departments and provincial and territorial governments, carry out a full review and assessment of complete applications.
• If approved, a program officer reviews the approval details and negotiates the contribution agreement, which must be signed to receive funding.
• Progress reports, performance reports, financial reports, and other requested reports are required if funding is approved.

• The intake period is currently closed, with additional dates possibly announced later.
• The program ends on March 31, 2028.
• Quebec-based organizations may need to address M-30 compliance before signing a contribution agreement.
• Approved applicants must sign a contribution agreement before costs can be reimbursed.