On-Farm Value-Added Program

• Completed Program Application Form signed by an authorized representative
• Quotations or invoices for all capital expenses
• Quotations or invoices for all non-capital expenses over $1,000
• List of other funding secured for at least 50% of the required project investment, and supporting documentation if requested by the Minister
• Any additional supplementary documentation requested by the Minister

Who is eligible?

• Primary producers
• Individuals, corporations, partnerships or co-operatives registered in Alberta
• Applicants operating a crop, bee or livestock operation in Alberta, or able to establish that they will operate in Alberta
• Indigenous applicants may be approved even if they do not meet the Primary Producer or Alberta operation requirements

Who is not eligible

• Processors
• Industry organizations, applied research organizations, and post-secondary institutions
• Federal, provincial and municipal governments, agencies and institutions, and similar organizations funded in whole or in part by the government
• Retail businesses, restaurants and food establishments, including commercial kitchens, food trucks and cafeterias
• Applicants with an active application to, or funding from, another Sustainable CAP program for the same expenses or substantially the same outcomes, and any other applicant deemed by the Minister to be ineligible

Eligible expenses

• Processing equipment, third-party installation, software systems to assist in processing, and third-party engineering related to the purchase and configuration of eligible equipment
• Food safety equipment, development and implementation of a food safety system, and third-party training for food safety improvement
• Sensory and shelf-life testing, validation of nutritional or health claims, scale-up trials, formulation development, process improvement, first run of labels and/or package printing for new product launch, and first-time brand design and development
• Feasibility studies, market readiness assessments, marketing and export plans, market support materials, capital investment strategy development, first-time certification audit, translation fees, third-party in-store product demonstrations, and tradeshow and conference registration fees
• Travel expenses that comply with the Sustainable CAP Travel Expense Policy

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Purchase or construction of real property or structural works, and activities associated with aquaculture, aquaponics, or seafood processing
• Province-specific branding, promotion or marketing activities that are detrimental to another province or territory
• Travel expenses not in compliance with the Sustainable CAP Travel Expense Policy, shipping costs, lease costs, website and online marketing costs, vehicles, listing and distribution fees, and non-capital expenses related to co-packer clients
• Ongoing business operational activities and overhead expenses, advertising, sponsorship, product donation, miscellaneous activities, and consumable expenses
• GST, non-arm’s length transaction expenses, costs incurred outside of the Project Term, and any other expense deemed ineligible by the Minister

• Total project investment relative to the grant request
• Ability to secure funding related to the proposed project investment
• Potential to increase, diversify, or effectively utilize production capacity, distribution channels, or market expansion
• Potential to create jobs in Alberta, increase annual sales, and contribute to the growth and development of the market, product, or subsector
• Quality of documents showing readiness and capacity to complete the project, plus past program performance and any other metric or desired program outcome announced by the Minister

• Review the Program Terms and Conditions and confirm the proposed activities are eligible activities listed in the Funding List
• Download and complete all sections of the Application Form, read Part F: Certification carefully, and sign the signature page by hand with original signatures only
• Submit the completed Application Form and supporting documents by email to s-cap.valueaddedprograms@gov.ab.ca or by mail to Value-Added Program, Sustainable CAP, Trade, Investment and Food Safety Division, Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, Suite 301, 7000 113 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T6H 5T6 within 90 calendar days of the project start date

• Applications are processed and assessed against eligibility requirements and assessment criteria on a case-by-case basis
• The Minister may contact applicants for additional information during review
• Applicants are notified of the outcome once the assessment process is complete
• Successful applicants must enter into an approval letter or long-form grant agreement depending on the grant amount
• Payment is made on a reimbursement basis after the Final Report and Reimbursement Claim Form are submitted, and additional reporting or audit requirements may apply