Rural Economic Development Program now accepting applications

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Author: Sustain Ontario

Posted: January 26, 2023

Categories: Funding Opportunities / GoodFoodBites

A new intake for the Rural Economic Development program opened on January 23, 2023, and will close on February 23, 2023, at 5 p.m. ET.

Ontario’s Rural Economic Development (RED) program provides cost-share funding to support activities that create strong rural communities in Ontario, and opens doors to rural economic development through:

  • funding assistance to address barriers to economic development, better position rural communities to attract and retain jobs and investment, and enhance economic growth
  • funding to build community capacity and support for economic development in Ontario’s rural communities
  • investments in rural communities to help diversify and grow local economies – making economic growth more inclusive so rural Ontario continues to share in the province’s economic prosperity

To be eligible for the program, you must be:

  • a municipality
  • a not-for-profit entity
  • an Ontario Indigenous community or organization
  • a Local Services Board

Funding Amounts

Economic Diversification and Competitiveness Stream: up to 50% of eligible project costs to a maximum of $150,000.

Strategic Economic Infrastructure Stream: up to 30% of eligible project costs to a maximum of $250,000.

Learn more on the province’s website here, including details on eligibility, program funding and application requirements.