Apply for agriculture funding

There are 3 categories of applicants eligible for Sustainable CAP funding.

• Commercial applicants
• New entrants and small businesses
• Non-profit organizations, governments and institutions

An applicant and their immediate family members are considered as 1 applicant and 1 recipient if they're involved in or operate the same:

• farm;
• company;
• corporation; or
• partnership.

Commercial applicants

This includes:

• commercial farm or agricultural businesses;
• processors who are processing food products grown or raised in the Yukon;
• other agri-businesses; and
• First Nation businesses.

To be eligible, you must:

• be a legal entity capable of entering into a contractual agreement;
• have a valid Yukon corporate registration;
• be in good standing with the Government of Yukon; and
• have been operating in the Yukon for at least 1 year.

You must also:

• have reported at least $15,000 in farming or business revenues to the Canada Revenue Agency within the previous tax year; or
• be enrolled in AgriStability.

New entrants and small businesses

This includes:

• farm or agriculture businesses;
• processors who are processing food products grown or raised in the Yukon;
• other agri-businesses; and
• First Nation businesses.

To be eligible, you must:

• be a legal entity capable of entering into a contractual agreement;
• have a valid Yukon corporate registration;
• be in good standing with the Government of Yukon; and
• be in operation in the Yukon.

You must also either be:

• a farm or business in a planning or development stage; or
• an existing farm or business that:
  • has reported less than $15,000 in revenue to the Canada Revenue Agency within the previous tax year; or
  • is not enrolled in AgriStability.

Non-profit organizations, governments and institutions

This includes:

• First Nation governments;
• municipal or territorial governments;
• non-profit organizations and First Nation organizations; or
• educational institutions or research bodies.

Non-profit organizations must be:

• registered under the Yukon Societies Act;
• have a valid Yukon corporate registration;
• have been in compliance for 2 consecutive years; and
• be in operation in the Yukon.

We’ll give preference to organizations with agricultural mandates. We may consider organizations without an agricultural mandate. This depends on their application and project details.

If you do not meet the criteria above, you may be eligible for other sources of funding.

Funding conditions are different whether you’re a:

• commercial applicant;
• new entrant or small business; or
• non-profit organization, government and institution.

Funding conditions per applicant type

Commercial applicants

You’re eligible for up to a maximum of 60 per cent of project costs. Certain eligible activities may have different maximums. Certain projects may need a business plan before you receive funding.

You can receive a cumulative maximum of $125,000 in funding over the lifetime of the program.

Major projects: Funding requests over $125,000

For funding requests over $125,000 for major projects:

• the funding maximum over the lifetime of the program is increased to $250,000; and
• you must submit:
  • a business plan or a financial assessment of the project;
  • confirmation of financial contributions from project partners;
  • letters of support for the project from industry and community; and
  • other relevant documents, where applicable.

A 3rd party will analyze and assess your project’s business plan for its viability. This analysis is part of the application review and approval process.

New entrants and small businesses

You’re eligible for up to a maximum of 60 per cent of project costs. Certain eligible activities may have different maximums.

You can receive a cumulative maximum of $30,000 in funding over the lifetime of the program.

You’re eligible to receive funding in 2 phases.

• Phase 1: cumulative funding up to a maximum of $10,000 for activities including, but not limited to:
  • participating in training related to agriculture; and
  • developing a business plan
• Phase 2: cumulative funding up to maximum of $20,000 to implement priority components identified in the business plan

If you reach the funding maximum of $30,000, you can apply for more Sustainable CAP funding as a commercial applicant.

We’ll consider additional project proposals on a case-by-case basis if you:

• have reached the $30,000 funding maximum; and
• are unable to meet the commercial applicant criteria.

Non-profit organizations, governments and institutions

Non-profit organizations, governments and institutions are eligible for up to a maximum of 100 per cent of project costs. Certain eligible activities may have different maximums.

Projects must:

• be clearly related to agricultural production or agri-food processing; and
• provide a benefit to the broader community or agriculture industry.

Funding limits

There are funding limits for certain eligible activities. For a full overview of funding limits, read the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership Guidance document.

If you’ve reached your funding limit, you can seek other sources of funding. These other sources of funding have different conditions and limits.

Application deadline

We accept applications monthly. You must submit your application by 4:30 pm on the 1st Friday of each month. If the 1st Friday is a statutory holiday, the deadline falls on the next business day.

Submit your application

We strongly recommend you read the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership Guidance document, and contact the Agriculture Branch to:

• discuss your project; and
• review your application.

Make sure your project application is complete before you submit it.

How to apply

1. Review the evaluation matrix to make sure you include all relevant and required information about your project.
2. Download, complete and sign the application form.
3. Attach any required documents as outlined in the application form.
4. Submit your application package to the Agriculture Branch.
5. Email: emr-sustainablecap@yukon.ca
   In person: room 320 of the Elijah Smith Building, 300 Main Street, Whitehorse. Our office is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
   Mail:
   Government of Yukon
   Agriculture Branch (K-320A)
   Box 2703
   Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6

Application evaluation process

Review of applications

The Agriculture Branch will review your application and may ask for more information. If this happens, we’ll put your application on hold until you provide the information.

You cannot have more than 3 approved Sustainable CAP projects underway at once.

The Agriculture Branch will reject and return ineligible or incomplete applications. If this happens, you can:

• discuss how to improve your application with the Agriculture Branch;
• update your original application; and
• resubmit your application.

We consider a resubmitted application as a new application. This means your new application will go at the back of the application queue. The Agriculture Branch will review and approve applications in the order they’re received.

Evaluation of applications

Either a project manager in the Agriculture Branch or the project evaluation committee will evaluate your application.

The project evaluation committee is made up of:

• 1 industry representative from the Yukon Agricultural Association;
• 1 industry representative from Growers of Organic Food Yukon;
• the Agriculture Branch director from the Government of Yukon.
• project managers from the Agriculture Branch of the Government of Yukon;
• the program coordinator from the Government of Yukon; and
• the Yukon program manager from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

We may call on science advisors to sit on the committee when we review research project proposals.

We use the Sustainable CAP evaluation matrix to evaluate and score all applications.

Evaluation timelines

You’ll hear back from us with a funding decision within 6 weeks of the application deadline. Depending on the size and complexity of your project, reviewing your application may take more time.

Evaluation results

The Agriculture Branch will notify you by email if your application is approved or denied. Based on the evaluation results, the Agriculture Branch can approve your application with:

• additional terms and conditions; or
• a different funding amount than what you asked for.

The Agriculture Branch is available to discuss and review the evaluation process with unsuccessful applicants.

Resubmitting your application

If your application is not successful, you can adjust and resubmit your application. We consider a resubmitted application as a new application. This means your new application will go at the back of the application queue. The Agriculture Branch will review and approve applications in the order they’re received.

Once your project is approved, you’ll sign a transfer payment agreement with the Government of Yukon. The agreement outlines the:

• obligations and responsibilities of the recipient and the Government of Yukon;
• terms and conditions for the project implementation; and
• management and oversight of all payment activities.

We will not process or issue the 1st payment until both parties sign the agreement. You must implement and complete your project according to the agreement.