Nova Scotia Seafood and Agriculture Strategic Investment Fund (SASI)
Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Up to $1,125,000 (75% of eligible costs) from a $4.71M fund for Nova Scotia businesses in agriculture, agri-food, seafood processing, and aquaculture. Supports strategic capital investments in equipment, facilities, and innovation to grow the province's food and seafood sectors.
Eligibility Requirements
- Registered Nova Scotia business or Indigenous entity
- Operating in agriculture, agri-food, seafood processing, or aquaculture
- Project must be strategic investment in growth or innovation
- Must provide minimum 25% matching funds
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $1,125,000 (75% of costs; $4.71M total fund)
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Provincial
- Co-Funding
- Up to 75% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Open (projects must complete by January 2027)
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
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How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipPerennia administers this fund and provides free advisory services to applicants. Engage with a Perennia advisor early in your application process — they can help shape your project to align with fund priorities and strengthen your submission significantly.
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Success Profile
Established seafood processors or agricultural operations making significant capital investments — new processing lines, cold storage facilities, automation equipment, or value-added product development infrastructure. Indigenous entities with aquaculture or harvesting operations are also strong candidates.
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Evaluation Criteria
Projects evaluated by Perennia's Project Review Committee on: transformative and strategic impact on the agriculture, agri-food, seafood processing, or aquaculture sector in Nova Scotia; innovation (new-to-NS technologies, equipment, or processes); demonstrated impact on productivity, quality, or cost of production; potential to develop new market opportunities; economic benefit to Nova Scotia; financial viability and capacity of the applicant to deliver the project. Larger-scale projects ($750K–$1.5M total cost) are prioritized though smaller transformative projects ($500K–$750K) are also considered.
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Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 6
Eligible Expenses 8
- Purchase of equipment (new to Nova Scotia technology or processes)
- Professional equipment installation and shipping costs
- Consultant fees directly related to the project
- Acquisition of new software
- Construction costs (assessed case by case)
- Adoption of new production processes with demonstrated productivity or quality impact
- Infrastructure supporting new market opportunities
- Equipment or processes that lower cost of production
Ineligible Expenses 7
- Regular maintenance or incremental costs associated with increasing current product lines
- Routine equipment replacement without new-to-NS technology or process element
- Cannabis-related projects
- Working capital and operating expenses
- Land purchase
- Costs incurred before application approval
- Projects unlikely to complete by January 2027
Intake Periods
EOI intake: August 16 – September 30, 2025 (first and potentially only intake given fund expiry in March 2027). Second intake may be announced depending on remaining funds after first cohort.
Deadline Notes
Applications accepted on an ongoing basis, but all funded projects must be completed by January 2027. Apply early to ensure sufficient project timeline.
Open Application Portal →Ineligible Organizations
- Businesses not registered in Nova Scotia
- Businesses not primarily operating in agriculture, agri-food, seafood processing, or aquaculture
- Organizations not in good standing with required Nova Scotia registries and regulatory authorities
- Fisheries and aquaculture operations without required permits, leases, or licenses in NS
- Cannabis-related businesses
- Businesses unable to demonstrate 25% matching contribution
- Projects that cannot be completed by January 2027
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Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Medium RiskMedium. Projects that fail to complete by the January 2027 deadline forfeit remaining funding. Ineligible costs included in claims must be repaid. Failure to deliver the required knowledge transfer component may affect final payment. Standard contribution agreement recovery mechanisms apply.
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How SASI Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nova Scotia Seafood and Agriculture S... | Up to $1,125,000 | Moderate | Reimbursement | Open (projects must... |
| Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Par... | $5,000–$15,000,000 | Moderate | Reimbursement | Varies by sub-program —... |
| CanExport SMEs | Up to $50,000 | Moderate | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Annual intake window.... |
| Export Development Canada (EDC) Finan... | Varies | Easy | Equity | Ongoing |
| Farm Credit Canada (FCC) Financing | Varies | Easy | Loan | Ongoing |
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