Grants for Blog Post

Foreign Exchange Losses? Forget it

At Fair Grant Writing, we go through hundreds of financial statements every year. We have noticed how many businesses have Foreign Exchange Losses. There is no surprise in why this is the case. Most businesses are involved in international trade one way or the other (export or import), and very few international partners accept Canadian dollars. Traditionally, very few currency risk management options were available on the market.

We always strive to improve our clients’ businesses outside grant funding. We’re happy to introduce our partner, Ebury, a fintech firm backed by Santander Bank that provides various foreign currency management services for Canadian exporters and importers. Ebury provides:

  • Foreign exchange risk management.
  • Dedicated experts whose main focus is to protect bottom line.
  • Competitive exchange rates compared to the Big 5 Banks and alternative companies.
  • Foreign currency accounts in over 30 countries, allowing clients to have a local international presence.
  • Unsecured Lending Facility and have access to over 140 currency pairs.

Not happy with Foreign Exchange Losses? No problem. Let experts in Ebury help you find the right solution for your business.

Contact Ebury: ZanPiranditta, 647-952-0529, zane.piranditta@ebury.com

If you are a Canadian exporter, remember that CanExport grant program is available for a limited time to help you enter new export markets. Its deadline is May 31, 2024. It provides 50% of your international marketing, consulting and compliance costs up to a maximum of $50K.

Government-Backed Loans for Women Entrepreneurs

On International Women’s Day, we are happy to share an initiative that empowers women entrepreneurs across Canada to pursue their dreams and ambitions.

The Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, backed by the Government of Canada, aims to provide vital financial support to women-led businesses, enabling them to thrive and succeed in their endeavors.

Within the Initiative, the Government of Canada has selected several delivery organizations to provide loans to women entrepreneurs. The selected delivery organizations are now accepting loan applications from women entrepreneurs:

  • The Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC)
  • The National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA)
  • The Northumberland Business Development Assistance Corp
  • Coralus, formerly SheEO
  • Evol

To apply for the available loans, applicants must prepare their business plans. This ensures that recipients have a clear roadmap for success and helps set them up for long-term sustainability. With a profound background in business planning, our team is here to support you every step of the way, from crafting your business plan to navigating the loan application process.

We’d also like to remind you that women entrepreneurs qualify for a variety of regular grants and loans beyond the Women Entrepreneurship Loan Fund. So, we encourage you to explore all available resources to maximize your business’s potential for success.

CanExport grant is coming back!

We’re happy to inform you that CanExport Grant Funding Program is opening its intake on February 29, 2024.

CanExport Marketing Grant provides government funding to small and medium-sized Canadian businesses for exporting their business marketing (digital including) and reimburses 50% of selected export marketing cost to a maximum of $50K.

Eligible Costs

  • Applying for certification in international markets
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Digital and online advertising to foreign audiences
  • Business travel (airfare & ground transportation; per diem up to $400; visa fee)
  • Participation at trade fairs, trade shows, conferences, trade missions, including virtual trade shows and conferences
    • Booth cost
    • Trade show space/floor rental, design and construction services, etc.
    • Registration fees, trade show registration, seminar fees, including room fees, audio-visual equipment rental, etc.
    • Shipping and handling costs related to the participation
    • Translation & interpretation costs
  • Market research;
  • Adaptation of marketing tools for a new market; and
  • Legal fees associated with a distribution/representation agreement.

Eligible requirements

  • Be a for-profit company;
  • Be an incorporated legal entity or a limited liability partnership (LLP);
  • Have a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business identifier number;
  • Have less than 500 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees;
  • Must target up to 5 export markets where the applicant hasn’t exported or hasn’t substantially exported within the last 24 months.
  • All sectors except agriculture, food and beverages qualify for CanExport grant. Other industries qualify for AgriMarketing or Canadian Agricultural Partnership programs.

Intake for Canada Digital Adoption Program is closing

We would like to inform you that the Canada Digital Adoption Program will be closing its intake soonOver the last year, demand for the Program has been unprecedented. The Canada Digital Adoption Program has received over 21,000 claims since it began and another 10,000 businesses are currently working with their advisors.

Due to this incredible demand and success, CDAP’s Boost Your Business Technology grant is almost fully subscribed, and intake for new applications will be closing in the coming days.

For CDAP applicants:

  • All clients who have an existing valid grant agreement, or who apply before the application intake closes, will continue to be eligible for reimbursement once they submit their claim.
  • BDC will continue to offer its 0% interest loan to eligible businesses beyond Boost Your Business Technology’s closing date.
  • Applicants can continue to get implementation support through the youth wage subsidy component.

The case of the Canada Digital Adoption Program closing its intake earlier this year clearly demonstrates why it’s so crucial not to wait and apply for the grant opportunities right now while they are still available.

Client Success Story: 2.1M Interest-Free Loan

We’re thrilled to share an exciting update from one of our clients, a steel manufacturer in the Toronto area, which secured significant funding – a 2.1M government interest-free loan with a forgivable portion of 500K.

This boost has empowered the company to embark on an ambitious expansion project to revolutionize its operations through advanced automation and robotics.

The funding also enabled the manufacturer to achieve the following results:

  • Creation of 36 new full-time positions, contributing to job creation and upskilling within the workforce.
  • Targeted aim to reach 5% in export sales, aligning with the company’s vision of market expansion and revenue diversification.
  • Projected a 60% increase in output efficiency, demonstrating the company’s dedication to operational excellence and market competitiveness.
  • Expected increase in production capacity up to 80% per week, resulting in an additional revenue growth.

So, while more funding programs are opening their intakes this year, you should consider applying for relevant government loans and grants, as they might significantly boost your business growth.

NGen Cancelled our Booth at the Summit

In business, you must be flexible and prepared to adjust to constant changes in events and circumstances. As we’ve mentioned earlier, we registered as exhibitors at the N3 NGen Manufacturing Summit on February 8 in Toronto, paid the fees, and invited our clients to attend.

Regrettably, NGen canceled our registration as an exhibitor due to oversubscription of exhibitor spaces. They quoted the venue’s Fire Marshall’s order.

However, our Business Funding Expert, Igor Chigrin, will still attend the event as a regular attendee. We won’t have a booth there. So feel free to register, and we hope to connect at the event for a side conversation.

Why to attend?

N3 NGen Manufacturing Summit is the premier forum for advanced manufacturing in Canada. Join the event for unmissable showcases, countless networking opportunities, industry roundtables, and keynotes that chart Canada’s future in strategic advanced manufacturing.

Exclusive Discount for You

Use the discount code N3Summit40 during registration to enjoy a price reduction on your attendee pass.

Event Details

Date: February 8
Location: Toronto Congress Centre
Event Website and Registration: N3 NGen Manufacturing Summit

Connect with Igor in the Event App

When you register as an attendee, the organizer will send you an event app where you can find Igor Chigrin and even book time for a 1-on-1 meeting.

Don’t miss the chance to be part of an industry-leading event. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Discover Our New Services at the N3 NGen Manufacturing Summit

We would like to remind you about the upcoming N3 NGen Manufacturing Summit, which will take place on February 8 in Toronto. Make sure to stop by our booth at the event and use a special discount code N3Summit40 to get your attendee pass for a reduced price.

As we gear up for this special event, we’re excited to unveil our two new services which help businesses leverage their available and potential financial resources:

Cost Reduction & Recovery Service

Even if your business is profitable, which it should be, it can still benefit from controlling and reducing its expenses. Within our Cost Reduction & Recovery Service, you get a custom expense reduction strategy in up to 3 weeks to help your business:

  • minimize losses
  • prevent losing more money than expected
  • get your expenses in control

Capital Injection Service

Capital Injection Service is a right and must-have solution for your business if:

  • you are struggling to find financing for your business or project
  • you are not getting the best deal on financing from your existing funder
  • interest on existing debts went out of control

To find the best financial deal for your company, we will analyze financing and cash needs beyond government funding, search for the best financing options leveraging our network of traditional and non-traditional financial services providers, develop budgets, cash flow and business plans.

Interested in any of these services? Fill out the form below.

Join Us at N3 NGen Manufacturing Summit on February 8

We are excited to share with you that we will be exhibiting at the N3 NGen Manufacturing Summit on February 8 in Toronto, and we wouldn’t want you to miss out on this event!

Why to attend?

N3 NGen Manufacturing Summit is the premier forum for advanced manufacturing in Canada. Join the event for unmissable showcases, countless networking opportunities, industry roundtables, and keynotes that chart Canada’s future in strategic advanced manufacturing.

Exclusive Discount for You

Use the discount code N3Summit40 during registration to enjoy a price reduction on your attendee pass.

Event Details

Visit Our Booth

Stop by our booth to connect with our team offline, explore the latest funding opportunities, get a copy of our book and discover how we can shape the future of your business together.

Don’t miss the chance to be part of an industry-leading event. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Don’t miss out: $20k CEBA loan forgiveness

We are always committed to providing our valued small business customers with tools and resources to thrive in their financial endeavors. Today, we are excited to bring to your attention a special opportunity in collaboration with business funding experts – Swoop.

The Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) was a lifeline for many businesses during the pandemic. Now, through our partnership with Swoop, we are thrilled to offer you a streamlined and user-friendly solution to navigate the CEBA Loan Forgiveness process seamlessly.

What is CEBA Loan Forgiveness?

CEBA loan forgiveness offers the opportunity to have up to $20K of your CEBA loan balance forgiven, provided specific conditions are met.

How does Loan Forgiveness work?

Depending on your loan amount, forgiveness can be 25% to 50%.

To qualify, you need to repay your CEBA loan by January 18th, 2024 or submit an application to refinance by that date. Should you have any questions or require assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out and book a meeting with a funding specialist here.book now

Planning employment in summer? Apply for wage subsidies

We are happy to inform you that the intake is now open for Canada Summer Jobs wage subsidy. Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) subsidies 50% of the provincial minimum per hour wage per employee to create quality summer work experiences for young people aged 15 to 30 years.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Be a for-profit company;
  • Employ 50 or less full-time equivalent employees;
  • To be eligible, students must:
    • be between 15 and 30 years of age at the start of the employment;
    • have been registered as full-time students in the previous academic year and intend to return to school on a full-time basis in the next academic year;
    • be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; and,
    • be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial or territorial legislation and regulations.

Deadline

The intake is closing on January 10, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. Read more about the grant on our website.

Marketing abroad in 2024? Don’t miss to apply for $50K CanExport Marketing Grant

As the end of the year is approaching, businesses have already started planning their marketing activities and budgets for 2024. It makes December a perfect timing to start exploring the available funding opportunities that support and reimburse marketing costs. One of these is the CanExport grant.

Given program’s popularity & short window of intakes, it’s essential to start preparing for the CanExport grant right now in order to be approved for the end of winter-spring intake. The exact intake dates are to be announced, but we expect them to reopen early next year.

Amount of the CanExport Program

The program reimburses 50% of selected export marketing cost to a maximum of $50K.

Eligible Activities

  • Applying for certification in international markets
  • Digital and online advertising to foreign audiences
  • Business travel (airfare & ground transportation)
  • Participation at trade fairs, trade shows, conferences, trade missions, including virtual trade shows and conferences
  • Market research;
  • Adaptation of marketing tools for a new market; and
  • Legal fees associated with a distribution/representation agreement.

Digital Competence Centre grant is still open in Ontario

We’d like to remind you that the Digital Competence Centre grant is still open for applications and provides funding to select and implement the right digital solution. The program has two streams.

Stream 1. Digital Maturity Assessment Plan (DMAP)

This stream helps Ontario SMEs better understand their organization’s technology needs, guide their digital transformation decision-making, and optimize their technology investments.

Stream 2. Technology Demonstration Program (TDP)

This stream supports Ontario (SMEs) that have completed a Digital Modernization and Adoption Plan (DMAP) project to adopt and implement the digital technology identified in their DMAP.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Be incorporated federally or provincially with a valid Business Number;
  • Be a for-profit, privately owned business;
  • Have between 1-499 full-time equivalent employees;
  • Have the capability to implement and internally sustain new technologies;
  • Have a permanent establishment in Ontario.

Eligible Expenses:

  • Digital consultant fees;
  • Digital solution adoption and implementation costs;
  • Costs related to website search optimization, installation of a technology platform (including subscription fees/costs), back-office solutions to support a technology strategy, creation of customer databases, development of new technology;
  • Costs of social media advertising;
  • Salaries for technical staff directly related to the demo project;
  • Upgrading existing technology site for added functionality;
  • Software to track and manage product inventory, as well as fulfill and ship orders; to simplify marketing, track sales, market to customers, offer discounts, maintain a loyalty program; for product databases, cyber security software of certifications;
  • Hardware and accompanying software.

Funding Amount:

  • 50% of the digital assessment and plan preparation costs;
  • 50% of the technology implementation costs.

Maple Production Improvement Initiative

Amount: 50% cost-share funding for eligible costs up to $20,000 per project

Get Started

Enroll into Lean eLearning with Canada-Ontario Job Grant

We’d like to remind you that the Canada Ontario Job Grant (COJG) program is still open for applications and offers great funding opportunities for skill training. With COJG, businesses can tap into valuable resources to enhance their workforce’s skills and capabilities.

One of the great aspects of the COJG program is its versatility. So, the grant can be also used to invest in Lean Training, a powerful approach that can help you address rising business expenses and the labor deficit. Lean Training helps create a training culture where employees share a common understanding of how they can contribute to the company’s growth and profitability.

Our partners at CTM provide a range of Lean Training options. CTM also offers a Learning Management System (LMS) platform that hosts various Lean courses, making it convenient for employees to access valuable training materials.

Here’s a glimpse of what CTM has to offer:

  • Level 1: A senior management course that provides insights into Lean transformation strategies for your company’s leaders.
  • Level 2: Six Lean Belt Certification courses designed for your entire workforce, ensuring that all your employees share the same level of Lean knowledge.
  • Level 3: Seven Lean tool courses for project teams, empowering employees with in-depth knowledge of Toyota tools and the ability to self-implement them.

WATCH THE VIDEO: LEAN THINKING TRAINING
FOR SMALL-MEDIUM BUSINESS

Here’s a brief reminder of the funding amount provided by the Canada Ontario Job Grant (COJG) program. The grant covers 1/2 to 5/6 of the training costs depending on the size of your business.

What happened to a clean tech grant?

If you follow the mainstream Canadian media, you may have noticed a developing story around Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)SDTC is a non-profit organization that provides Federal funds to the Canadian clean technology sector through grant and seed funding programs. The programs and the organization were around for almost two decades.

An audit of the organization recently conducted by the Federal government revealed multiple cases of conflict of interest between the organization’s executives and the approved application. Another alarming discovery was that many applicants were not in line “with the spirit” of the contribution agreement.

The funding for the organization is currently stopped as well as its application process. Further investigation and corrective action implementation will take at least 6 months. During this time, there will be no dedicated source of government funding for Canadian clean technology firms. The flow of funds from the program also stopped.

This is a very bad situation considering the sector’s impact on future jobs, prosperity and climate change.

Here are the links to learn more about the story.

[Event Invitation] Interactive Strategic Planning Workshop

We’d like to invite you to Interactive Strategic Planning Workshop – Business B4 Breakfast – hosted by our partners at Robbinex.

The workshop has been created to help entrepreneurs, that are planning on exiting their business in three to five years, develop a strategic plan and empower them to make the right decision at the right time.

The interactive workshop lasts 3 hours (7:30 am – 10:30 am) and includes a continental breakfast.

  • Nov 22, 2023, Holiday Inn – 2325 Wyecroft Rd, Oakville
  • Nov 23, 2023, Crowne Plaza – 105 King St E, Kitchener
  • Nov 29, 2023, Holiday Inn – 327 Ontario St, St. Catharines
  • Nov 30, 2023, 300-170 Attwell Dr, Toronto (Airport)

The entry is free of charge for our clients.

To learn more and register for the workshop, please, visit: https://www.robbinex.com/selling-your-business-workshop/

WMCO Advanced wood manufacturing digital integration transformation project

Amount: eligible expenses up to $100,000 at 45% funding.

Get Started

This grant is closed. Apply now for others!

We’d like to inform you that the Meat Processors Capacity Improvement Initiative was abruptly closed due to oversubscription. This is remarkable because the program opened just a few weeks ago and had no deadline originally. We are following all the updates about the program and will share them with you as soon as they are available.

So, if you plan on applying for other government grants and funding programs, do not wait and start your application process now! Don’t wait until other programs run out of funding!

CanNor accepts Expressions of Interest until November 20, 2023

The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) for new single or multi-year projects starting in the 2024-2025 fiscal year. All EOIs must be submitted to before November 20th at 11:59 p.m. (PST).

Eligible Projects

As part of this EOI, priority will be given to projects that address one or more of the following business and community economic development priorities, in line with the four key themes of CanNor’s Pan-Territorial Growth Strategy:

  1. Diversification and Innovation — including:
    • Business Scale up and Market Expansion — projects that help businesses to accelerate their growth and assist with the adoption of innovative technologies that support scale-up, productivity and global competitiveness (e.g. clean technologies, digital adoption, e-commerce offerings).
    • Regional Innovation Ecosystems — projects that help create, grow and develop strong and inclusive (e.g. women, youth, Indigenous peoples) regional networks that support business growth and innovation, that foster the entrepreneurial environment, and that increase the competitiveness of SMEs.
    • Indigenous Economic Development — projects that support and increase the participation of northern Indigenous communities and businesses in economic opportunities (e.g. tourism, blue economy, mineral sector, housing industry).
    • Sector Development — projects that foster the development and growth of key sectors (e.g. tourism, arts and culture, fisheries, food systems) in a manner which increases community capacity, maximizes jobs, and enhances long-term wellbeing (e.g., circular economy) within the territories.
  2. Infrastructure Investments and Development — projects that leverage other investments to maximize local and regional opportunities by closing the economic infrastructure gap, as well as by supporting broadband and clean technology initiatives.
  3. Resource Development — projects that support the development and growth of SMEs within the supply chain and remediation sectors, as well as the exploration and development of critical minerals, innovative mining techniques and clean technology innovation.
  4. Skilled Workforce — projects that will increase the availability and quality of pre-employment and targeted job skills training based on industry demand, through support for curriculum development, equipment and infrastructure investments.
  5. Economic Recovery & Stabilization — projects that support communities, not for profit organizations and SMEs in the economic recovery of their sector (e.g. tourism).
  6. Tourism Growth — projects that support communities, small- and medium-sized businesses, and non-profit organizations in developing local, community-level tourism offerings and events.

Deadline

All EOIs must be submitted before November 20, 2023. 

About CanNor

CanNor works with Northerners and Indigenous peoples, communities, businesses, organizations, other federal departments and other orders of government to help build diversified and dynamic economies that foster long-term sustainability and economic prosperity across the territories – Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon.

Expanding in Ontario? Get ready for a next intake

Today, we’d like to inform you about the that Southwestern Ontario Development Fund (SWODF) and Eastern Ontario Development Fund (EODF)‘s current intake is over. The next intake starts on January 12, 2023 and will continue until February 23, 2023.

So, if you are planning on growing your business in Ontario, it’s high time to start working on your application to be ready to apply when the next intake starts.

About SWODF and EODF

The funds support projects and investments to businesses, municipalities and not-for-profit organizations for economic development in southwestern and eastern Ontario. The programs supports projects that create jobs, encourage innovation, collaboration and cluster development, and attract private sector investment.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Be located in Southwestern or Eastern Ontario.
  • Employ at least 10 people (or 5 if you are in rural Ontario)
  • Commit to creating at least 5 new jobs (or 30% increase for companies with fewer than 15 employees)
  • Be able to provide 3 years of operations/financial statements

Amount

Any for-profit business that intends to expand in Southern and Eastern Ontario outside Greater Toronto and Ottawa is eligible to receive 15% of the expansion budget from the government. The contribution may be in the form of a grant or an interest-free loan.

Deadline

Next intake will close on February 23, 2023.

Training your personnel? Apply for eligible grants

We’d like to remind you about the grants that provide costs for personnel skill training:

  • AIME Green Program (by the Yves Landry Foundation). Eligible training for AIME Green must be completed by December 31, 2023.
  • Canada-Ontario Job Grant. COJG eligible training must be finished by March 31, 2024.

About AIME Green Program

The program is offering manufacturers in south, central and eastern Ontario up to $100K with 50% shared costs (first-time applicants) to offset the costs of training expenses related to upskilling and retraining their workforce to adopt and adapt green manufacturing principles at the shop floor level. Its eligibility criteria are:

  • Must have between 10-1000 employees in Ontario;
  • Must be continuously in business for at least three years (3 years) and demonstrate financial stability;
  • Must operate a manufacturing facility or facilities in Ontario;
  • Manufacture a specific product for sale in Ontario or elsewhere; and,
  • Demonstrate adoption/adaption of greening technologies in products or manufacturing processes

Deadline: Eligible training must be completed by December 31, 2023.

About Canada-Ontario Job Grant

Canada-Ontario Job Grant provides the training cost up to a maximum of 83% of the training costs. The program’s eligibility costs include:

  • Training (tuition) fees for the skills training that:
    • Is more than 25 hours in length (not applicable for Ontario)
    • Is delivered by an outside training service provider or institution
    • Does not replace or replicate prior training
    • Completed within 52 weeks of the approval date
    • Results in some sort of credential (record of completion, certificate, grade, etc.)
  • Books & training supplies/materials
  • Examination fees
  • Other mandatory training fees, if applicable
  • It is up to employer to select the training institution or educational service provider as long as the one provides a certificate or a record of the completion of the training.

Deadline: Eligible training must be completed by March 31, 2024.

Need help with this or other government funding programs but don’t know where to start or how to prepare an application?

CHECK ELIGIBILITY

Important Updates: Business Scale Up & Productivity Program

We’d like to inform you about some recent changes to the Business Scale Up & Productivity Program. Last Thursday, FedDev announced key updates to the Program, effective immediately:

  • FedDev has moved from continuous intakes to three intakes a year. The deadline for the current intake is November 7, 2023.
  • The Aerospace Regional Recovery Initiative is now officially closed.
  • The Program provides 50% of eligible project costs, up from 35%.

About the Program:

The FedDev Ontario Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) program provides governmental support for businesses in southern Ontario to drive their scale-up and productivity.

It offers no-interest, repayable contributions.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Must be located in southern Ontario.
  • Canadian or provincially incorporated businesses.
  • Indigenous organizations such as Indigenous-owned businesses.
  • Co-operatives.
  • Minimum of five (5) full-time employees.
  • Market/industry demand (e.g., how the project addresses a significant gap in the market; global opportunity to be seized within Canada; and evidence that southern Ontario is uniquely positioned to capture market share).
  • Financial capacity to complete the project and repay the contribution in full.
  • A viable project plan with achievable outcomes supported by verifiable cost estimates.

Deadline

FedDev moves from continuous intakes to opening several intakes a year. The deadline for the current intake is November 7, 2023 8:59 PM Eastern Time.

Read more about BSP Program eligible activities, costs and application process here.

Business Funding Highlights: Apply for available grants

As a new fall season is here, we’ve decided to remind you about some of the government grants available for your business. So, here are the highlights of some funding programs:

Equipment Purchasing and Expansion

Skills Training

Software and Hardware Adoption

Research & Development

Funding for Agriculture, Food and Beverage Businesses

Please note that the CanExport program is still on hold form most businesses until further notice. They opened a very short intake for participants of the government-led trade missions.

We hope you’ll find a relevant funding opportunity among these highlights but you can always explore more grants available here.

Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Value Chain Program (EVMP)

Amount: up to $35 million invested in innovative, business-led, collaborative projects that strengthen Canadian capability and content, for integration into Canada’s supply chain for ZEVs.     

Get Started

New Funding for food and beverage processors in Southern Ontario

We’d like to inform you that FoodShift Program‘s intake is open from September 5, 2023 to October 6, 2023.

The FoodShift program invites southern Ontario food and beverage processing organizations to apply for non-repayable funding up to $50K to lead projects focused on clean technology adoption, food waste reduction, or process optimization.

Eligibility Criteria for Applicant:

  • A for-profit private sector enterprise or not-for-profit corporation ready to adopt and integrate proven clean technologies into their operations;
  • Ready to adopt a proven clean technology and/or conduct assessment projects focused on food waste reduction and/or process optimizations;
  • Generating a minimum of $200K in annual revenues; and
  • Incorporated in Canada and located in Southern Ontario.

Eligibility Criteria for Clean Technology Provider:

  • A for-profit private sector enterprise or not-for-profit corporation; and
  • Able to provide a proven clean technology application (at or beyond Technology Readiness Level 8 (TRL-8+) stage of development) and/or consultation service that that meets the environmental and economic needs of an eligible applicant.

Deadline

The intakes will close on October 6, 2023 at 11:59 EDT.

Amount

Successful program recipients will be selected through an open call for applications and will be awarded up to $50K in project-based matching funding.

Growing business in Ontario? Time to apply

We’d like to inform you that Southwestern Ontario Development Fund (SWODF) and Eastern Ontario Development Fund (EODF)‘s current intake is open from August 17, 2023, to October 5, 2023.

Funds support projects and investments to businesses, municipalities and not-for-profit organizations for economic development in southwestern and eastern Ontario. The programs supports projects that create jobs, encourage innovation, collaboration and cluster development, and attract private sector investment.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Be located in Southwestern or Eastern Ontario.
  • For Business Projects:
    • Employ at least 10 people (or 5 if you are in rural Ontario)
    • Commit to creating at least 5 new jobs (or 30% increase for companies with fewer than 15 employees)
    • Be able to provide 3 years of operations/financial statements
    • Be located in, or plan to locate in, a community in eastern Ontario
  • For Community Economic Development Projects:
    • Be led by municipalities, economic development organizations (including sector groups) or consortia
    • Focus on economic and business development and job creation in the community or region by investing in infrastructure or implementing strategies to advance regional economic development priorities
    • Lead to measurable outcomes including private sector investment, growth and job creation
    • Have private sector support
    • Be used for activities that are new to the organization

Amount

Any for-profit business that intends to expand in Southern Ontario outside Greater Toronto and Ottawa is eligible to receive 15% of the expansion budget from the government. The contribution may be in the form of a grant or an interest-free loan.

Need help with this or other government funding programs but don’t know where to start or how to prepare an application?

CHECK ELIGIBILITY

Green Construction through Wood (GCWood) Program

Amount: non-repayable contributions of up to $1.4 million of a project’s eligible costs.

Get Started

Update: AMIC Grant for manufacturers extended deadline

We’d like to inform you that Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competitiveness program has extended its deadline to September 14, 2023.

About AMIC grant for expanding manufacturers:

The program aims to provide financial support to Ontario-based advanced manufacturing companies with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises. It will facilitate investments in capital equipment, technology adoption and skills development.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Have at least three years of operations/financial statements.
  • Employ at least 10 people.
  • Commit to creating at least five new jobs and/or upskilled current jobs.
  • Be located in, or plan to locate in, a community in Ontario.

Amount

Types of support available:

1) Loans

Up to 15% of funding, interest-free during the project period (up to four years). If you achieve your investment and job or upskilling targets, up to 30% of the loan may be forgiven.

2) Grants

Grants are available only for specific circumstances, up to 15% to a maximum of $500K.

Need help with this or other government funding programs but don’t know where to start or how to prepare an application?

CHECK ELIGIBILITY

Funding for Meat Processing Equipment will soon be available

We’d like to inform you that the Meat Processors Capacity Improvement Initiative will accept applications starting August 31, 2023. The program provides funding towards upgrades of meat processing equipment to improve the productivity of the operations.

Eligibility Criteria

Full program eligibility criteria will be provided when the application intake launches on August 31, 2023. Applications that meet eligibility criteria will be reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis to receive cost-share funding.

Amount

Each successful applicant is eligible to receive up to $150K in cost-share funding to help implement measures that will result in increased meat processing capacity within their meat plants or abattoirs.

Deadline

Applications open on August 31, 2023, and will remain open until January 31, 2024 or until the initiative is fully subscribed, whichever comes first. Eligible project costs can be incurred as of July 26, 2023 and eligible projects must be completed with equipment delivered by March 1, 2024. Recipients will have until June 28, 2024 to have equipment installed.

Need help with this or other government funding programs but don’t know where to start or how to prepare an application?

CHECK ELIGIBILITY

Business Scale-up and Productivity Program is open in British Columbia

We’d like to remind you that Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) program is open for applications.

  • In British Columbia. The program will be accepting applications from July 14 until September 22, 2023.
  • In Ontario, Quebec, Prairies and Atlantic Canada this program accepts applications year-round.

BSP program provides no-interest, repayable funding to high-growth firms to:

  • scale up and expand;
  • demonstrate and commercialize new technologies;
  • improve productivity; and,
  • enter or grow in international markets.

Amount

Up to 50% of eligible project costs may be requested from the government. The rest of the total project funding is required from confirmed non-government sources. All non-government sources must be confirmed at the time of application and after project approval.

Eligible Costs

Incremental costs that are essential to the project. For example:

  • capital costs (equipment, machinery)
  • labour (wages, benefits)
  • marketing
  • costs related to intellectual property
  • technology development and commercial demonstrations
  • professional, advisory, technical services

Need help with this or other government funding programs but don’t know where to start or how to prepare an application?

CHECK ELIGIBILITY