Nature Smart Climate Readiness Program

• Detailed site map(s) based on a satellite image showing the precise location and total area of the proposed project.
• Letter of support, and/or planning documents, and/or similar documentation from a third-party technical specialist, Conservation Authority, or recognized conservation group, including project location, land use or condition before implementation, proposed activities, an estimated project timeline, and qualified third-party contact details.
• A detailed work plan on the application form that clearly outlines the commitment to implementing the proposed eligible project.

Who is eligible?

• Ontario farm businesses.
• Farm businesses owning farmland in Ontario.
• Farm businesses proposing projects on farmland they own.

Eligible expenses

• Third-party technical expert support, engineering fees, and consultant fees.
• Site excavation, earthwork, equipment rentals, erosion control, ditch plugs, and site preparation and maintenance.
• Rental or purchase of specialized planting equipment, plantings, livestock exclusion fencing, and water crossing structure improvements.
• Brush encroachment mitigation, invasive species control, stream bank erosion control measures, and controlled burns in grassland projects.
• Opportunity costs for land taken out of production, in-kind time, permits, and wildlife habitat features such as nesting structures and pollinator plantings.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Irrigation ponds, landscaping, and biofilters.
• Fencing not directly associated with livestock exclusion from the riparian area, grassland area, or wetland.
• Any area that is to be grazed or accessed by livestock.
• Establishment of grasses and vegetation for harvest, including biomass, forages, or other removal of vegetation.
• Projects related to a stormwater or drainage pond or other waterbody that is not part of a riparian area or wetland, and planting invasive species.

• Applications are assessed against one another based on their potential to sequester carbon and provide ecological benefits, relative to the amount of funding requested.
• Projects are selected based on providing the greatest benefit per amount of funding requested.
• Projects with the greatest potential to sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions are the most competitive.
• Assessment criteria include project location, soil carbon content, predominant vegetation type, landscape connectivity, area impacted, and enhancements to increase carbon storage.

• Applications are only accepted during application intakes.
• Download the Nature Smart application form during an application intake.
• Include all information listed under Documentation Required With the Application and provide a detailed work plan on the application form.
• Submit the application by email to naturesmart@ontariosoilcrop.org or by post to 1-367 Woodlawn Road West, Guelph ON N1H 7K9.

• If an application is approved for an allocation, OSCIA sends written confirmation by email with project completion and claim submission deadlines, a Conservation Agreement, links to the necessary documents, and instructions for submitting the claim, including project photos.
• Nature Smart claims do not require invoiced costs or proofs of payment.
• The applicant must enter into a signed Conservation Agreement with OSCIA before cost-share payment can be issued, and the signed Agreement must be included with the claim submission.
• Payments are made by electronic funds transfer in the name of the applicant, OSCIA issues a tax form AGR-1, reports the amount paid to the Canada Revenue Agency, and collects a Social Insurance Number if the applicant does not have a CRA Business Number.
• OSCIA may verify project implementation by inspection before or after cost-share is issued and throughout the 10-year Conservation Agreement, and applicants must repay funding if the project is not maintained as approved. Only one claim can be submitted per project per program year, and only one payment will be made per claim.

• A Conservation Agreement is required before payment.
• Projects are subject to inspection during the agreement period.
• Nature Smart funding cannot be used for federal or provincial carbon credit programs during the agreement term.