Local Food Infrastructure Fund – Large Scale Projects

• Certificate of Incorporation, Articles of Incorporation, or Letters Patent
• Detailed Project Budget
• Table of Metrics
• Quotes for cost items over $5,000
• Letter(s) of financial support

Who is eligible?

• Indigenous communities and governments
• First Nations, Inuit, or Métis not-for-profit associations
• First Nations, Inuit, or Métis not-for-profit organizations
• Non-profit organizations that provide community food services
• Municipal administrations

Who is not eligible

• Schools, school boards, and academic or educational institutions
• For-profit entities
• Unincorporated entities

Eligible expenses

• Equipment to produce food, including growing and harvesting equipment
• Equipment to process, distribute, store, and transport food
• Administrative costs up to 10% of eligible costs

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Major renovations and construction
• Purchase of food, consumables, single-use items, and gift cards
• Activities with no link to food production or food security for equity-deserving groups
• Activities that generate commercial gain or profits not reinvested in food-related programming

Eligible geographic areas

• Quebec-based applicants must comply with the M-30 Act.

• The application is acknowledged once received.
• Applications are checked for completeness and may be put on hold if information is missing.
• Applications are assessed competitively against program criteria.
• Successful applicants receive a decision notice and must sign a funding agreement before funding is issued.
• Approved recipients must provide performance and budgetary reports, and additional reports may be requested.

• The Indigenous Pathfinder Service is available for Indigenous applicants who need additional support throughout the application process.
• If funding is fully committed or announced to be closed before the deadline, the intake period may close earlier than February 28, 2025.
• Only one project application (either Small Scale or Large Scale) can be funded per eligible applicant over the three-year funding period, with exceptions for Indigenous applicants.
• Contributions from the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) are capped at 75% of eligible costs, with a minimum of 25% contribution required from the applicant's side.
• In-kind contributions can form up to 50% of the applicant's cost-share.
• Funding from the program cannot be redistributed to partners.
• Ownership of the equipment purchased with grant funds must remain solely with the applicant, though the equipment can be installed on partner sites with landlord permission.
• The project must exhibit an element of food production, either managed directly by the applicant or through a collaboration with an eligible partner.
• The application materials, like the budget and performance measure documents, must be submitted in their original file format; otherwise, they will not be reviewed.
• Requests for more than $500,000 or less than $150,000 are not eligible for funding, except where ineligible costs are deducted.