Buy BC Partnership Program
The Buy BC Partnership Program is a fundamental component of Buy BC programming that provides up to $2 million in cost-shared funding annually to local producers, processors, and associations to support their ability to undertake local marketing activities that increase consumer awareness and sales of local agriculture, food and beverage products.
Buy BC is a province-wide marketing program that focuses on building greater consumer awareness, demand and sales of local agriculture, food, and beverage products within British Columbia. The Buy BC logo provides a trusted symbol for consumers to look for and identify fresh, high-quality B.C. products, and encourages them to explore new products from around the province.
For details, refer to the Program Guide.
Eligible Applicants
Please note that the June 2024 intake will only be open to the Producer & Processor funding stream.
To be considered eligible for cost-shared funding through the Buy BC Partnership Program, organizations must meet the following criteria:
Be a primary agriculture and/or seafood producer or cooperative; or
An agriculture, food and beverage and/or seafood processor; or
An agriculture, food and/or beverage industry association, board or council
Be able to carry the cost of their total project until completion before applying for a reimbursement through the program
Submit only one application per intake
Be able to self-fund a minimum percentage of the total project budget as follows:
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- For producers, processors and cooperatives, the cost-share ratio is:
- 50% Ministry / 50% Applicant for first time recipients and all applicants applying under the initial funding call of the program.
- 35% Ministry / 65% Applicant for all returning recipients (starting in 2024).
- For industry associations, boards, or councils, the cost share ratio is 70% Ministry / 30% Applicant.
- For producers, processors and cooperatives, the cost-share ratio is:
Have a head office in B.C. or be authorized (including being registered, licensed or certified, as appropriate) to do business in B.C.
Have been approved for and hold a valid Buy BC logo licence
Have a minimum of $30,000 in annual revenue for the past two years (applicable only for producers, processors, and cooperatives)
Eligible Activities
For a project to be funded through the Buy BC Partnership Program, an application must include one or more of the six eligible activities below:
Paid Advertising
Developing and producing Buy BC-branded digital, radio, print, transit, and/or TV advertisements, as well as purchasing ad space on digital and offline platforms.
Labelling Or Packaging Products With A Buy BC Logo
Designing and printing labels and/or packaging with the Buy BC logo. Only Buy BC logo licensed products can be labelled and packaged with a Buy BC logo. Please visit https://buybc.gov.bc.ca/
Marketing Collateral and Promotional Materials
Designing, developing, and printing Buy BC-branded marketing collateral and promotional materials for general use such as videos, brochures, rack cards, posters, banners, recipe cards, signs, truck wraps, social media posts, etc.
BC Focused Market Development and Sales Expositions
The organization’s first time participating in virtual or in-person, and/or sales expositions in B.C. that target consumers and/or food service/ institutional/retail buyers to promote specific agriculture, food or beverage products within B.C., including registration fees, booth rentals/upgrades, equipment rentals, translation services, chef services, on-site storage, shipping costs for product samples and/or general booth service fees such as garbage collection and electricity costs.
BC Focused In-store Demonstrations and Promotions
Conducting in-store product demonstrations and promotions within B.C., including hiring brand ambassadors to promote Buy BC licensed products within grocery retailers and/or food service establishments, offering product sampling within B.C. grocery retailers and/or food services establishments, and/or developing and promoting products within grocery retailers and/or food service establishments through the production and use of signage and promotional materials with the Buy BC logo.
Staff Wages
All staff wages directly related to implementation of project activities.
For more detailed information on Eligible Activity Types and Outputs, please refer to the Program Guide.
Funding Limits
This Program offers two funding streams:
Producers and Processors
A maximum of $15,000 per year for applicants with an annual gross revenue less than $250,000, and;
A maximum of $30,000 per year for applicants with an annual gross revenue over $250,000.
Industry Associations
For industry associations, boards and councils, funding is available from a minimum of $5,000 per year up to a maximum of $75,000 per year.
Anticipated Program Timelines
| Application Intake Opens | June 3, 2024 |
| Program Information Session (online webinar) | June 11, 2024 |
| Deadline for Applying for Buy BC Logo Licence | June 18, 2024 |
| Application Intake Closes | July 2, 2024 at 16:00 PST |
| Application Review | July 3 to August 30, 2024 |
| Anticipated Project Start Date | September 1, 2024 |
| Project Completion Deadline | March 1, 2025 |
Application Assessment
All complete Program applications received will be evaluated only on the information submitted and will not be considered if they do not meet eligibility criteria. Eligible application will be reviewed using a merit-based review process to allocate available cost-share funding to projects that best align with the assessment criteria.
For details, refer to the Program Guide.