Should you have further questions/concerns please do not hesitate to contact either:
Andrew Graham – agraham@ontariosoilcrop.org OR 519-654-6893
Kathleen Pentland – kpentland@ontariosoilcrop.org OR 519-826-5405
Amber Van De Peer – avandepeer@ontariosoilcrop.org OR 519-826-3152

TIER ONE QUESTIONS:

1. QUESTION: How are the funds allocated/made available? 
   ANSWER: Grant applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis as of April 1 of each government fiscal year up to the maximum eligible for each local/regional association (i.e. $2,500). Allocations will be granted to pre-approved projects up to the total amount of funding available for that year. Projects that proceed without pre-approval from the Guelph office will risk forfeiting the grant. Claim forms for all Tier One grants must be completed and received in the Guelph office by the date listed for each year in the Grant Guidelines.

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2. QUESTION: Is there a maximum amount that a local/regional association can apply for per year?
   ANSWER: Tier One has been designed as 100% cost-share up to a maximum of $2,500 per county/district/region annually.

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3. QUESTION: Is Pre-approval required?
   ANSWER: Yes, Pre-approval is required to keep track of budget and manage expectations. We wish to avoid any disappointment resulting in an association going ahead with a project only to find out the funds have already been fully allocated.

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4. QUESTION: How many projects can each local/regional association apply for each funding year?
   ANSWER: Each county/district or region can apply for up to $2,500 in cost-share per year. This can be made up of one or multiple projects.

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5. QUESTION: Can the same project be applied for in the second year or funding?
   ANSWER: Yes. Each Tier One must standalone and be complete by the end of the fiscal year. A project may be enhanced with additional features in the second year, or repeated if beneficial and appropriate.

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6. QUESTION: Can locals go together to pool funding towards the same project?
   ANSWER: Yes, local/regional associations may pool Tier One funding towards the same project/activity. If local/regional associations choose to pool resources for a project only one application is required per project, however all participating parties must be clearly listed with contact people. To trigger payment, each participating SCIA must submit a claim form with proof of payment. 

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7. QUESTION: How do the grant guidelines incorporate Sponsorship from local businesses? Would that factor into the application process?
   ANSWER: Tier One applications require that the applicants list all associated costs. These are specific costs the association expects to incur during the project time frame, in part or in whole. At claim time OSCIA will ask for all project costs to be listed on the claim form, as well as contributions that have been made from other sources (cash and in-kind). These contributions listed on the claim form provides a positive report to the Ministry on how their funds leveraged additional contributions towards approved projects from the farm community.