FCC AgriSpirit Fund FAQs

Find answers to commonly asked questions about the FCC AgriSpirit Fund.

Questions about eligibility

What programs are not eligible for the FCC AgriSpirit Fund?

Your program isn’t eligible if it:

Contributes to operating budgets or debt reduction campaigns
Raises funds for a charity through private foundations or third parties (Lion’s Club, Knights of Columbus, etc.) unless funds are directed to a specific capital project for which FCC receives recognition for the donation
Supports individual projects or interests
Benefits members of a particular religion, political party or social organization whose primary focus is advocating a particular religious, social, moral, political or economic point of view
Benefits private schools
Adversely impacts the environment
Is an organization directed by an elected Federal Official
Takes place in a community of over 150,000
Is on behalf of a third-party group

Your organization is also not eligible if you have received FCC AgriSpirit Funding in the past five years or you do not pass FCC’s necessary background check.

What is debt reduction?

FCC considers debt reduction to be a re-payment of any expenses incurred before receiving funding from FCC. When you apply for funding, the project or expenses must not be completed before receiving notification of funding, or you’ll be ineligible.

What is the role of a municipal partner, First Nations, Métis or Inuit government/community, or registered charity partner, and why do I need one?

There is no national registry for non-profit organizations, so they must partner with their local municipal body, First Nations, Métis or Inuit government/community, or a registered charity to qualify for funding. If you’re selected for funding, it will be disbursed to the municipal body, First Nations, Métis or Inuit government/community, or registered charity. You’ll need to work with the partnering entity to get the funds.

If you’re chosen for funding, your partnering municipality, First Nations, Métis or Inuit government/community, or registered charity partner must also sign a contract to show that they support your project.

Questions about the application process

As a municipal partner, First Nations, Métis or Inuit government/community, or registered charity, can we partner with more than one organization and apply for our projects?

There are no limits to the number of projects a municipal body, First Nations, Métis or Inuit government/community, or registered charity can partner with. You can also apply for your own projects, but it’s important to note that your projects will compete against each other.

I’ve applied for the FCC AgriSpirit Fund before and my application was denied. Why hasn’t my project received funding?

While we see many worthy projects, we have $1.5 million to distribute annually and receive over 700 applications.

Eligible applications are evaluated based on selection criteria and reviewed against other applications from your area. Projects are awarded funding based on their evaluation score.

Funding is divided across the provinces according to rural populations to serve a wide reach of communities across Canada.

Each year, applicants compete against a different variety of projects from their area, so we welcome you to apply again in the future.

We have numerous projects happening in our organization. Can we apply for all of them?

Organizations can apply for more than one project, but must apply separately. It’s important to note your projects will be competing against each other.

I’m having trouble submitting the application. What should I do?

Email us and we’ll contact you within three business days.

I need additional time to complete the application

No late submissions can be accepted. We recommend that you review the application process early and allow time to collect and complete all required paperwork.

Can I set up a meeting to discuss our project?

We don’t schedule individual meetings. Please include all details of your project in your online application.

Do I need to submit contractor quotes or other financial information with the application?

No quotes are needed with the initial application, but after completion of the project (within two years of being awarded the funds), you’ll need to provide receipts for any expenses paid for with awarded funding.

For the initial application, we only need general information including:

Information about your organization and for non-profits, any applicable funding partners
Information about the project or program you’re applying for
How the funding (if awarded) will be used
How much funding you’ve already secured for your project or program, and where you received the funding from
Information about your organization’s structure

Can I see the application before the fund opens?

We don’t provide copies of the application before fund opening dates.

Questions about funding

Will all projects receive the full amount of requested funding?

No. Funding is often approved for smaller portions of larger projects.

Can awarded funds be put toward wages directly related to the project or program?

We may consider granting the use of funds toward wages if those wages are part of the project that’s chosen for funding.

Do we need to raise a portion of the funds on our own before applying for the FCC AgriSpirit Fund?

You don’t need to have any funds raised before applying. You can be in the beginning stages of fundraising, or apply for the entire amount.

When will we be notified of our status?

FCC will contact you this fall regarding your project status.

Are we able to begin our project prior to receiving funding?

The portion of your project for which you hope to receive FCC AgriSpirit Funding must not be undertaken before you are advised of the status of your application. If you successfully receive funding, all your invoices and receipts must be dated after receiving funding from FCC.

If we’re awarded funding, do we need to match the amount provided by FCC?

You don’t need to match any funding received from FCC.