Growing Forward 2 Ontario Business Grants for Organizations & Collaborations – Capacity Building

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has announced the availability of Canadian small business grants and loans through the joint federal/provincial program: Growing Forward 2. The Ontario government funding allocated to this program, $417 million over the next 5 years, will be available to the Ontario agriculture industry – Producers, Processors and Organizations and Collaborations.  Learn more about recent announcements regarding the joint federal/provincial Growing Forward 2 Program by reading our post, Growing Foward 2 Federal and Ontario Business Grants.

Ontario Business Grants for Organizations & Collaborations Stream Details

For the Organizations and Collaborations stream, Capacity Building government funding for business is available through a cost-sharing arrangement where up to 75% of project costs are supported by the program. The remaining costs must be cash; in-kind contributions are not eligible.

Projects Eligible for Ontario Small Business Grants Coverage

Eligible projects for this stream are:

• Strategic planning
• Audits/Assessments
• Training

Ontario Business Grants Project Focus

Projects must align with one of the focus areas of the Growing Forward 2 Ontario program. The key focus areas are:

1. Environment and Climate Change Adaptation
2. Animal and Plant Health
3. Market Development
4. Labour Productivity Enhancement
5. Assurance Systems (Food Safety, Traceability and Animal Welfare)
6. Business and Leadership Development

Small Business Grants Ontario Application Process and Submission Deadlines

The application process for this government small business grants program involves two stages.

Phase 1: Pre-Proposal

The first stage is the submission of a Pre-Proposal application for consideration with a turnaround time of 5-10 business days.

Phase 2: Full Application

With acceptance at this stage, a full application is submitted. Depending of the size of the project, the response time for this stage will be 6-8 weeks.

Ontario Government Funding Timeline

Acceptance of project applications under $20,000 is ongoing. Submission of projects over $20,000 is subject to the following deadlines for 2013: September 5^th, October 24^th and December 12^th. More deadline dates for 2014 will be announced before year end. Please refer to the Growing Forward 2 Page for more dates as they are made available.

Contact a Canadian government funding expert or choose from one of the following options for additional information:

Contact a Canadian Government Funding Expert

Stay connected with Canadian government funding experts to learn more about small business grants and Ontario business loans through a variety of convenient options.   Sign up for our Canadian government funding weekly e-newsletter, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.   If your firm has more than 15 employees and has been incorporated for at least 3 years, check out opportunities to attend a free Canadian government funding workshop