Updated July 2026 · Verified against Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) guidelines
Reimbursement
Grant Provincial Active

NOHFC Regional Tile Drainage Program

Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)
Maximum Funding
$500/acre, up to $1M
No posted intake deadline; applications accepted on a rolling/ongoing basis.
Visit Official Program →
Difficulty
Hard
Payment
Reimbursement
Trend
Stable
First-Timers
—
Co-Funding
50%
NOHFC Regional Tile Drainage Program provides $500/acre, up to $1M. NOHFC funds tile drainage installation in Northern Ontario through a consortium service provider — a not-for-profit, agricultural or community organization that applies on behalf of an identified group of producers — reimbursing 50% of contractor costs up to $500 per acre plus 100% of the service provider's project management fees. The program covers up to 50% of eligible costs. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

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Eligibility & Details

What this program funds and who can apply

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Program Description

NOHFC funds tile drainage installation in Northern Ontario through a consortium service provider — a not-for-profit, agricultural or community organization that applies on behalf of an identified group of producers — reimbursing 50% of contractor costs up to $500 per acre plus 100% of the service provider's project management fees.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Applicant must be a not-for-profit, agricultural or community organization acting as a consortium service provider — individual farmers cannot apply directly
  • Applies on behalf of an identified consortium of producers, to develop and administer a tile drainage project within a specific region of Northern Ontario
  • Each farmer within the consortium must be identified at the time of application
  • Each participating farmer must be 'shovel-ready'
  • Each participating farmer must have a Farm Business Registration, or written confirmation from Agricorp that they are exempt
  • A farmer who does not own the property to be tiled must have at minimum a five-year written lease agreement, provided to the organization administering the project
  • Individual producers must make cash contributions of at least 10% of the contractor costs (materials and labour) specific to their individual acreage
  • Installation must be completed by a contractor licensed for tile drainage installation, and the contractor must confirm the design complies with the Drainage Guide for Ontario
  • Land to be tiled may be in production or new acreage; NOHFC will not fund the tiling of the same acre of land twice
  • An OMAFRA technical review is a mandatory part of the due diligence process
  • In-kind contributions (labour, farm machinery, etc.) are ineligible
  • Projects are expected to be shovel-ready and completed within two years
Provinces
Ontario
Industries
Agriculture

Quick Assessment

Difficulty
Hard
Competition
Low
First-Timer
Not rated

Funding Details

Amount
$500/acre, up to $1M50% of tile drainage contractor costs up to $500/acre; 100% of project management/admin fees (10% of contractor costs up to $100/acre); NOHFC maximum investment is lesser of 50% of eligible costs or $1,000,000 per project.
Type
Grant
Level
Provincial
Co-Funding
Up to 50% of eligible costs
Deadline
No posted intake deadline; applications accepted on a rolling/ongoing basis.

Program Scorecard

Competition, effort, and approval at a glance

Competition
Low
Deadline
Ongoing
Approval
Varies
Accessibility
3/5

Moderate — standard application process

Competition
2/5

Below average competition

Difficulty
4/5

Complex — detailed documentation needed

Processing Time
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How to Win

Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like

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Insider Tip

You cannot apply as an individual farmer — a not-for-profit, agricultural or community organization must apply as consortium service provider on behalf of identified producers.

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Evaluation Criteria

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How NOHFC Regional Tile Drainage Program judges your application

What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.

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Sections5
Judged on3 criteria
Can reject you8 rules
To attach5 documents

Distilled from 5 source documents, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-07.

5 sources

What NOHFC Regional Tile Drainage Program favours

Be shovel ready and finish within two years◦

“NOHFC expects you to be “shovel ready” and to have the project completed within two years.”

1 more, in their words

The formthe outline

Consortium and eligibility3 sections
  1. 1Identify the consortiumlist
  2. 2Qualify each farmerlist
  3. 3Per-acre project budget and producer cash contributionstable
Payment evidence2 sections
  1. 4Property map for payment requestsshort answer
  2. 5Detailed GPS map for final paymentshort answer

NOHFC Regional Tile Drainage Program states no length limits for these answers.

5 more prompts, in the funder’s words

Judged against4 questions · 3 criteria

  1. 1

    Does every producer and property qualify?

    Show them List each farmer with acreage, Farm Business Registration or Agricorp exemption, ownership or a five-year lease, and shovel-readiness evidence.◦

    In the funder’s words · 1
    • Submit your application and we’ll review it and make sure your project meets our program guidelines.
  2. 2

    Will the design pass OMAFRA and the Drainage Guide?

    What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium

  3. 3

    Do the per-acre numbers and cash shares add up?

    What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium

  4. 4

    Can NOHFC verify and map every tiled acre?

    What to show them in Premium

Where applicants failin NOHFC Regional Tile Drainage Program’s words

“If a farmer decides that they will not be participating after the application has been submitted, the funding will be adjusted.”

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See all 8 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.

4 more rules that can reject you · 2 more criteria · 5 more prompts

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Do you pass?8 checks

Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.

You

  • Every farmer identified in the consortium

    Each farmer within the consortium must be identified.

Your organisation

  • Not-for-profit consortium provider

    Not-for-profit, agricultural or community organizations that would, on behalf of an identified consortium of producers, develop and administer a project to install tile drainage within a specific region (i.e., a consortium service provider).

The project

  • Land in production or new acreage

    Land to be tiled can be in production or new acreage

  • No double-tiling the same acre

    NOHFC will not fund the tiling of the same acre of land twice.

4 more checks

1 thing this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.

Documents to attach5

Ticks are kept on this device.

The money

Contractor costs50% to $500 per acre

50 per cent of tile drainage contractor costs to a maximum of $500 per acre

Administration fees10% of costs, max $100/acre

100 per cent of service-provider project management/administration fees calculated as 10 per cent of contractor costs to a maximum of $100 per acre

Maximum NOHFC fundingLesser of 50% or $1 million

NOHFC maximum is the lesser of 50% or $1 million toward eligible project costs

Your shareAt least 10% cash from individual producers

The individual producers must make cash contributions of at least 10 per cent of the contractor costs (materials and labour) specific to their individual acreage.

What it pays for · 2
  • Tile drainage contractor costs (materials and labour)
  • Project management/administration fees of the service provider
What it does not pay for · 1
  • In-kind contributions (labour, farm machinery, etc.) are ineligible.

From application to money

  1. Talk to OMAFRA earlyDiscuss viability with OMAFRA staff
  2. Apply in the portalSubmit via NOHFC online portal
  3. Technical reviewMandatory OMAFRA technical review
  4. Board decisionNOHFC Board makes final decision
  5. Shovel-ready buildShovel-ready, complete within two years
In the funder’s words · 5
Talk to OMAFRA early
The funder recommends discussing the viability of the proposed project with OMAFRA staff.
Apply in the portal
The consortium service provider submits the application through the NOHFC online portal.
Technical review
NOHFC gathers additional project information and OMAFRA carries out a mandatory technical review.
Board decision
NOHFC's Board of Directors makes the final decision.
Shovel-ready build
Approved projects are expected to be shovel-ready and completed within two years.

Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.

What's in this Playbook

Everything you need to win NOHFC Regional Tile Drainage Program

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Application Playbook

Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses

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Application Steps

1 Confirm you can apply at all Only a not-for-profit, agricultural or community organization acting as a consortium service provider can apply — on behalf of an identified consortium of producers, to develop and administer a tile-drainage project within a specific region. An individual farmer cannot apply directly. Check NOHFC's regional eligibility tool to confirm the region qualifies as Northern Ontario.

Required Documents 5

✓ Farm Business Registration or Agricorp exemption
✓ Land ownership or five-year lease agreement

Eligible Expenses 4

Ineligible Expenses 4

Intake Periods

Deadline Notes

Ineligible Organizations

Premium The full guide for this program also covers:
  • 5 more application steps
  • 3 more required documents
  • 4 eligible expenses
  • 4 ineligible expenses
  • Intake periods
  • Deadline notes
  • Ineligible organizations

Funding Stack Strategy

Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential

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Combined Funding Potential See your total funding potential

Clawback Risk

Medium Risk

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How NOHFC Regional Tile Drainage Program Compares

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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about NOHFC Regional Tile Drainage Program

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Can I apply as an individual farmer?
No. The applicant must be a not-for-profit, agricultural or community organization acting as a consortium service provider, applying on behalf of an identified consortium of producers. Individual producers participate through that organization.
What does each participating farmer have to have in place?
The farmer must be shovel-ready, must have a Farm Business Registration (or written confirmation from Agricorp that they are exempt), and — if they do not own the land — must hold at least a five-year written lease agreement, which is provided to the administering organization.
Do farmers have to be named when the application goes in?
Yes. NOHFC states that each farmer within the consortium must be identified at the time of application. If a farmer later decides not to participate, the funding is adjusted, because it is based on the number of farmers and the acres to be tiled.
How much does the producer have to put in?
At least 10% of the contractor costs for their own acreage, in cash. In-kind contributions such as the producer's own labour or farm machinery are ineligible, so that share cannot be covered with equipment time.
How long do we have to finish the project?
NOHFC expects the consortium to be shovel-ready and to have the project completed within two years of approval.

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