McDonald’s Corporation is offering up to $20,000 in funding for organizations and members of the Canadian beef community for projects that help prepare ranches and feedlots to successfully participate in the McDonald’s Verified Sustainable Beef Pilot Project (VSB Pilot).
Qualifying applicants may be veterinarians, genetics providers, feed companies, associations and more. The funding, up to $20,000 per project, is to be used to “support efforts focused on Canadian beef producers successfully running through an on-site third-party verification and continuous improvements in the future.”
Projects will be evaluated on four criteria:
- Alignment with VSB Pilot objectives (find those here: www.vsbpilot.ca)
- Clear expectations for how the money will be used, what outcomes will be achieved and how success will be measured, if the proposal is funded. Note, funds will not be awarded to make direct payments to producers for participation
- Organization’s depth of commitment to the Canadian beef community
- Organization’s ability to enroll, support and increase participation in the VSB Pilot through field workshops and other activities as measured by: Cow-calf/Extensive operations and cattle numbers and Fed cattle/Intensive operations and cattle numbers
There will be two rounds of project applications, but the first deadline is next week, so get going!
Round 1 – Proposals due by 12:00 PM MDT July 2, 2015. Winning applicants will receive notification by July 17, 2015. Half (50%) of their total funds awarded will be made available in August 2015 and the balance paid upon completion of deliverables, submission and acceptance of final report.
Round 2 – Proposals due by 12:00 PM MDT July 17, 2015. Winning applicants will receive notification by July 31, 2015. Half (50%) of their total funds awarded will be made available in August or September 2015 and the balance paid upon completion of deliverables, submission and acceptance of final report.
McDonald’s is proud that 100% of the beef sold in McDonald’s restaurants throughout Canada is sourced from Canadian beef producers, the company says. Funding these projects is key to making the VSB pilot a success, enabling McDonald’s to purchase a portion of its Canadian beef supply from verified sustainable beef sources in 2016, and will help to inform the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB) going forward.
Interested parties can go to www.mcdvsb.com and complete the online application. For more information on the VSB Pilot, please visit www.vsbpilot.ca or call Matt Sutton-Vermeulen: 515-371-7914
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