FII does not provide business loans, small business grants, or assist with the product development or promotion needs of individual businesses or small consortiums. Funding will be directed only to groups or associations representing multi-licensee partnerships and serving the objectives of a large geographic area, or the majority of producers of a specific species or product category. FII funding must result in benefits that can be accrued to or accessible by multiple companies/interested parties, and not be limited to the proprietary interests of any one organization/company.

Individual businesses are not eligible to receive FII Product Development and International Marketing funds. Eligibility to submit proposals for FII funding will be restricted to existing or special purpose industry groups (primary, secondary or tertiary manufacturing), academic and forest research institutions, or provincial government ministries. Funding will only be available for incremental programming; FII will consider funding new programs, not current initiatives being funded through other sources. In most situations, FII funding will not be used to support in-office operational costs. Under no circumstances may FII funding be used as a business subsidy, as defined by the BC Ministry of Competition, Science and Enterprise.

To be considered for FII funding, projects must provide tangible and specific benefits for the BC forest industry. Proponents will be required to submit a detailed business case for proposed projects, clearly outlining the rationale for project activities. Included must be a detailed description of the need or opportunity the project will address, supported by indicators of market importance to British Columbia. Detailed proposal requirements will be included as a part of each program’s call for proposals documents.