Grants for Food and Beverage Guidebook
What can Food & Beverage grants NOT be used for?

Summary

• There are limitations to every grant program. It’s important not to be overambitious when applying for funding.  
• Including ineligible expenses will make the program look poorly on your business and it risks your entire project being thrown out. 
• If you are unsure about what activities are eligible for funding, reach out to the program for clarification.

Getting to know the grant space is all about finding ways to maximize all the different types of funding that are out there and using grants to upscale your business in a way that meets your team’s vision. Of course, you want to get as much free money as possible. But it’s important not to be over-ambitious; just because a program is specified for the Food & Beverage industry doesn’t mean it’s suited to the sorts of projects and activities you want to execute. Applying to grant programs that don’t fit your needs often leads to recipients trying to use the funding for prohibited activities. This will cause not only your claims to not be reimbursed, but your entire project may be discredited. Let’s have a look at the activities that different types of grants DO NOT cover. 

Ineligible hiring grant expenses:

• Vacation pay
• Bonuses
• Contractors (employees not on payroll)

Ineligible training grant expenses:

• Tuition
• Costs that are also covered by scholarships
• Apprenticeships
• Practicums
• Coaching

Ineligible market expansion and R&D grant expenses:

• Operational costs
• Costs associated with writing other proposals
• Staff costs not associated with the project

When determining what your funding can be used for, keep in mind that each program has its own rules and regulations. Refer to the applicant guide to determine what are eligible expenses. If you aren’t sure the activity you want to execute is covered by program funding, don’t be afraid to reach out to the program contact!