Registered charities and non-profit organizations needing funds for projects that will make their communities better can now apply to Farm Credit Canada's (FCC) AgriSpirit Fund.
The fund supports projects in rural communities across Canada, as long as the population is fewer than 50 thousand people.
Approved projects can receive between $10 thousand and $25 thousand from $1.5 million in available funding.
Projects can range from "construction or improvements to community buildings, refrigeration and equipment to support food waste reduction and recovery" to things that " improve accessibility and inclusion, greenhouses, and initiatives related to agriculture and food", according to an FCC news release.
Rural Canadians are so passionate about enhancing their communities and this fund is there to support their efforts," said Carla Warnyca, Manager of Community Investment at FCC.
The application window opened on Wednesday and the deadline to apply is May 15, she said. FCC usually gets a good balance of applications across Canada, but there are years where more applications come from a specific region, whether its the Prairies or Atlantic Canada.
"There's such interest in rural communities across the country to have a positive impact on their friends and neighbours, so we definitely see it impacting across the country." Warnyca said.
Since it started in 2004, the Agri-Spirit Fund has helped 1,778 capital projects across rural Canada, totalling $24 million.
Criteria and lists of past projects can be found at www.fccagrispiritfund.ca.
