Producer Mental Wellbeing Initiative

Who can apply

The multiple interacting stressors and unique challenges faced by Canadian producers have a big impact on their wellbeing. Solutions must adhere to at least one of the principles below:

1. Raising Awareness and Communication: Develop innovative campaigns that promote awareness or educational programs about mental health through tools that focus on prevention and the identification of mental health challenges early, and which promote coping mechanisms.
2. Reduce Stigma: Develop solutions that normalize conversations about mental health, reduce stigma, and encourage farmers to seek help.
3. Improve Access to Tailored Mental Health Support: Create solutions that provide personalized mental health support to farmers and/or their families, addressing barriers including access, location, and timing.
4. Community Resilience and Mental Health Promotion: Develop solutions that focus on creating and maintaining supportive farming community environments, and addressing social determinants of mental health, especially for those facing systemic challenges (i.e. racism, socioeconomic barriers, isolation).
5. Provide Long-Term Support: Design and deliver mental health solutions that integrate wellness, farming practices, and other aspects of farm management (i.e. succession planning, family support) to enable better support for producers, from generation to generation.

The Producer Mental Wellbeing Initiative is open to for-profit or not-for-profit organizations and individuals registered to do business in Canada. Specifically, you can apply if you are:

1. Businesses or other for-profit organizations incorporated in Canada;
2. Not-for-profit organizations incorporated in Canada;
3. Producers, producer organizations and associations within Canada;
4. Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) individuals, organizations or groups of individuals located in Canada;
5. Individuals or groups of individuals based in Canada; and
6. Collaborations between one or more of the above categories of applicants.

Eligible applicants must be legal entities (such as a registered business, corporation or a not-for-profit organization) capable of entering into legally binding agreements in Canada.

Underrepresented and marginalized groups in Canadian agriculture — including women, youth, persons with disabilities, racialized persons, visible minorities, 2SLGBTQI+ communities, and official language minority communities are encouraged to apply.

In order to receive funding, applicants are required to be a Canadian legal entity (such as a company or a corporation or a not-for-profit organization) capable of entering into binding agreements in Canada or establish one.