Funding Opportunities
Grants Ontario provides you with one-window access to information about grants that are available to you, how to apply for grants and how to check the status of your application.
Economic Development Initiative (EDI)
Economic Development Initiative supports businesses and economic development activities that encourage sustainable growth in Northern Ontario's Francophone communities (the official language minority community).
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Northern Ontario Development Program
Through its flagship Northern Ontario Development Program, FedNor invests in projects that support community economic development, business growth and competitiveness, and innovation.
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Youth Internship
Not-for-profit organizations: FedNor will contribute up to 90 percent ($31,500) for the eligible costs of salary and employee benefit expenses for a period of 12 months in a full-time position. On an exceptional basis where conditions warrant and activities being undertaken build economic development capacity, the internship period for small municipalities and First Nation communities may be up to 24 months to match project work plans.
The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) was established in 1988 with a mandate to promote and stimulate economic development initiatives in Northern Ontario by providing financial assistance to projects that stabilize, diversify and foster economic growth in the region.
They offer four main programs which are organized by the focus areas of business supports, community enhancement, people and talent, and cultural supports.
For more information, please visit their website at by clicking here.
NADF is a not-for-profit Aboriginal Financial Institution in Northern Ontario.
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They are committed to helping Aboriginal entrepreneur’s in Northern Ontario prosper and realize their business dreams. This organization offers a variety of financing solutions including financial support through grants and loans. For more information, click here.
The Job Grant will provide direct financial support to individual employers who wish to purchase training for their employees. It will be available to small, medium and large businesses with a plan to deliver short-term training to existing and new employees
Apprenticeship Completion Employer Bonus - You can apply for this $1,000 taxable cash grant when your apprentice has:
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completed all required classroom and on-the-job training
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received final certification (a Certificate of Apprenticeship or a Certificate of Qualification, depending on the trade)
You could get financial incentives to help with costs of hiring and training a youth (15 to 29 years old)
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Through Youth Job Connection Summer, you get at least 20 hours of paid training to prepare you for the workplace and a summer jobs that last for up to 8 weeks
Indigenous Economic Development Fund
The Indigenous Economic Development Fund (IEDF) provides grants and financing to Indigenous entrepreneurs, businesses, communities and organizations. The fund helps promote economic development and improve opportunities for Indigenous people.
Apprenticeship Incentive Grant for Women
The Government of Canada announced a new Apprenticeship Incentive Grant for Women to further support women in entering, progressing, and completing their training in Red Seal trades where women are underrepresented. The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant for Women (AIG-W) is a taxable cash grant of $3,000 per year/level (or equivalent) up to a maximum amount of $6,000 per person.
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Apprenticeship Incentive Grant
The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant (AIG) is a taxable cash grant of $1,000 per year or level, for a lifetime maximum amount of $2,000 per person.
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Apprenticeship Completion Grant
​The Apprenticeship Completion Grant (ACG) is a one-time taxable cash grant lifetime amount of $2,000 per person for registered apprentices who complete their apprenticeship training and obtain their journeyperson certification.
For over 30 years, our core business has been to invest in community-based initiatives that help build healthy and vibrant communities throughout Ontario.
The provincial government and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs work together to provide a set of funding programs that support good jobs, attract investment, and help the agri-food industry make and even greater contribution to Ontario's economic success.
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The ministry also provides advice, research, and programs to advance the sector. Together, these programs are designed to assist the industry in meeting the Premier's Agri-Food Growth Challenge to double its annual growth rate and create 120,000 new jobs by 2020.
Learning how to run your own student business is one of the best summer jobs you can have. You get to be your own boss while learning what it takes to manage a business. Applicants must be between 15 and 29 and must be returning to school in the fall in order to benefit from funding up to $3,000.
Allows successful applicants to receive: one-on-one guidance from a Small Business Enterprise Centre advisor, mentoring with a local successful entrepreneur, access to business workshops on topics from writing a business plan and budgeting, to executing a marketing campaign, funding of up to $5,000, and experience running a business that will better position them to obtain more traditional financing, such as a bank loan. Applicants must be between 18 and 29, and must not be attending school full-time.
Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program
The Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP) allows foreign workers, international students and others with the right skills, experience and education to apply for a nomination for permanent residence in Ontario.
Whether recruiting professionals from around the world to train Canadian workers, or working with employers planning job-creating investments in Canada, the Global Skills Strategy provides businesses in Canada with a faster way to bring in global talent in order to scale-up and grow—creating better jobs for more Canadians.
Other Funding Sources
Aboriginal Loan Guarantee Program
Supports Aboriginal participation in new renewable green energy infrastructure such as wind, solar and hydroelectric. By participating in renewable energy projects, First Nation and Métis communities can benefit from jobs and training as projects are developed and from dividends once projects come into service. The program includes both energy generation and electricity transmission projects. The Ontario Financing Authority (OFA) administers the program on behalf of the Province.
Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)
The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) works at the heart of Ontario's power system. The IESO delivers key services across the electricity sector including: managing the power system in real-time, planning for the province's future energy needs, enabling conservation and designing a more efficient electricity marketplace to support sector evolution.
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The IESO offers a range of funding programs to help make Ontario’s electricity system cleaner, greener and smarter.
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A national arm's-length agency that fosters the development of the arts in Canada through grants, services, and awards to professional Canadian artists and arts organizations, as well as administering scholarly awards. The council offers a broad range of grants and services to professional Canadian artists and arts organizations in dance, media arts, music, theatre, writing and publishing, interdisciplinary work and performance art, and the visual arts.
The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) provides grants to Ontario-based individual artists and arts professionals, ad hoc groups/collectives and organizations. Grants support a range of arts activities and disciplines.
Ontario Arts Foundation
Combining extensive knowledge of the arts in Ontario with efficient administration and a flexible approach, we work with arts patrons to help them develop strategies that reflect their philanthropic goals while providing continuing support over the long term.
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Supports projects led or inspired by seniors who want to make a difference in the lives of others and in their communities promoting volunteerism among seniors and other generations; engaging seniors in the community through the mentoring of others; expanding awareness of elder abuse, including financial abuse; supporting the social participation and inclusion of seniors; and providing capital assistance for new and existing community projects and/or programs for seniors
The Enabling Accessibility Fund is a federal Grant and Contribution program that supports capital costs of construction and renovations related to improving physical accessibility and safety for people with disabilities in Canadian communities and workplaces. From installing automated door openers, constructing a universally designed office or retrofitting a washroom with an accessible toilet, grab bars and taps, the Enabling Accessibility Fund works to enable Canadians with disabilities to participate in their community and the economy.
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Canada Summer Jobs is a Government of Canada initiative that provides funding to help employers create summer job opportunities for students.
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Under the Youth Employment Strategy program, the Skills Link program helps youth facing barriers to employment - such as single parents, Aboriginal youth, young persons with disabilities, recent immigrants, youth living in rural and remote areas and high school dropouts - obtain the knowledge and develop the broad range of skills and work experience they need to participate in the job market.
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority, through this grant program, will make strategic investments in Internet related community projects consistent with CIRA’s Strategic Plan. In addition, the projects selected will need to demonstrate their ability to support one of the fundamental tenets of the organization, which is to develop, carry out and/or support any other Internet-related activities in Canada.
Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation
The Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation will lead the way to enhance First Nations communities and people through contributions that will be of benefit socially, culturally, healthfully, and economically in a wholistic manner. The Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation is independent and is governed by a Board of Directors. The Foundation will contribute to eligible applicants in the areas of: SPORTS AND RECREATION, EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT, HEALTH and ARTS AND CULTURE
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Aviva Community Fund
The Aviva Community Fund distributes a total of $1,000,000 in funding annually to a range of small, medium and large projects that have been proposed and selected by communities, through an on-line competition format.
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The Ontario Music Investment Fund (OMIF) is designed to provide targeted economic development investment to the province’s vibrant and diverse music industry. OMIF supports Ontario music companies with strong growth potential to maximize return on investment (ROI), and create more opportunities for emerging artists to record and perform in Ontario.
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There are several different platforms for this so Quickbooks created an article which outlines all options.
Charity Village
Canada Business Network