Tourism grants and funding available in Ontario in 2025

Overview: tourism grants and funding in Ontario in 2025

Ontario’s visitor economy relies on a mix of grants and contributions that support destination development, festivals and events, tourism infrastructure, digital adoption, market development, and workforce training. Organizations can pursue tourism grants in Ontario through federal streams such as the Tourism Growth Program, FedDev Ontario tourism funding in the south, and FedNor tourism funding in the north; provincial options including Experience Ontario grants for festivals and events, Ontario Trillium Foundation tourism funding, and Regional Tourism Organization funding; and Northern Ontario programs like NOHFC tourism grants. In addition, place‑based initiatives for Indigenous tourism, rural development, and cultural infrastructure complement destination marketing grants, accessibility upgrades, and sustainable tourism projects. This page explains the landscape, typical eligibility criteria, cost‑share models, intake windows, and practical steps for how to apply for tourism grants in Ontario.

Why funding matters for Ontario destinations and operators

Tourism funding in Ontario enables communities to upgrade attractions and accommodations, host festivals that drive overnight stays, and revitalize waterfronts, trails, and heritage districts. Grants for tourism businesses in Ontario help operators modernize booking engines, implement e‑commerce ticketing, strengthen cyber security, and launch international marketing to U.S. visitors and other export markets. Non‑repayable contributions reduce project risk, while matching grants encourage partnerships among municipalities, DMOs, RTOs, and private operators. These investments support recovery and resilience, workforce development, and sustainable tourism outcomes such as energy efficiency and accessibility.

Main funding streams serving Ontario’s tourism sector

Ontario’s ecosystem combines federal, provincial, regional, and community‑level sources. Understanding how these programs align by geography and objective is key to building a strong, stackable project budget.

Provincial programs: events, community building, and destination development

Experience Ontario grants (festival and event funding)

Experience Ontario grants, known historically as Celebrate Ontario grants, focus on festivals and events that attract visitors, generate spending, and enhance destination brand visibility. Applicants typically include municipalities, non‑profits, and qualified event organizers; for‑profit event producers may be eligible under specific streams. Funding priorities often emphasize tourism marketing, programming enhancements, accessibility measures, and event security or risk management. Organizations researching best grants for festivals and events in Ontario should monitor intake windows and deadlines for Ontario festival grants 2025 and clearly demonstrate incremental attendance, overnight visitation, and market‑ready programming.

Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) tourism funding

The Ontario Trillium Foundation tourism funding—particularly through community building and capital streams—can support accessible tourism upgrades, museum and gallery grants, and cultural infrastructure that enhances visitor experience. Projects may include wayfinding signage, visitor centres, heritage site restorations, or indoor/outdoor cultural spaces aligned with placemaking and community destination development. For museums and heritage sites, OTF complements federal cultural infrastructure programs, enabling phased plans for exhibit modernization, storage, climate control, and accessibility (AODA) compliance.

Regional Tourism Organizations (RTOs) and Destination Ontario partnerships

Ontario’s 13 Regional Tourism Organizations (RTO 1–13) offer partnership funding, co‑op marketing, market research, and industry training. RTO grants in Ontario prioritize destination marketing grants, content creation funding, and experience development. Destination Ontario partnership funding can further scale campaigns, particularly where operators and DMOs co‑invest in digital marketing, SEO and multilingual content, U.S. market promotion, and travel trade readiness. Applicants should align proposals with regional strategies, target market‑ready or export‑ready experiences, and provide performance metrics such as reach, clicks, conversions, and bookings.

Northern Ontario streams: FedNor and NOHFC

FedNor tourism funding

FedNor tourism funding supports northern community destination development, product diversification, and tourism entrepreneurship across Northern Ontario. Applications often involve municipalities, Indigenous communities, and non‑profits, with an emphasis on northern development, community benefits, and job creation. Priority areas can include waterfront development funding, visitor centre enhancements, trail infrastructure, and export‑ready experience development for regions such as Sudbury, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Kenora, Dryden, and Northwestern Ontario.

NOHFC tourism grants (Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation)

NOHFC tourism grants help businesses and communities build tourism infrastructure and experiences in Northern Ontario. Eligible projects commonly include resort expansion grants, campground improvement funding, marina upgrades grants, snowmobile/ATV trail grants, Nordic/ski trail funding, and tourism marketing partnership funding. NOHFC experience development funding supports experiential tourism, including Indigenous cultural programming, dark sky/astrotourism initiatives, and nature‑based products across the Bruce Peninsula/Georgian Bay northward, Algoma, and beyond.

Federal programs active in Ontario

Tourism Growth Program (TGP)

The Tourism Growth Program in Ontario emphasizes destination development funding, product enhancement, and market diversification with a focus on inclusive and sustainable growth. Applicants can include municipalities, DMOs, not‑for‑profits, and tourism businesses depending on stream design. Projects may support cycling tourism infrastructure funding, trail development grants, tourism digital marketing grants, and export‑ready tourism funding Ontario targeting U.S. and international markets.

FedDev Ontario tourism funding

FedDev Ontario tourism funding typically supports southern Ontario businesses and communities improving tourism infrastructure, expanding attractions, adopting technology, and scaling marketing. Examples include hotel renovation grants in Ontario, attraction funding for exhibit revitalization, and online booking engine funding to increase conversion. FedDev can complement municipal investments for placemaking signage, visitor flow, and wayfinding signage grants that improve the visitor experience in city cores and waterfront districts.

Canada Cultural Spaces Fund (CCSF)

The Canada Cultural Spaces Fund Ontario supports cultural infrastructure projects—museums, galleries, heritage theatres, and cultural centres—that drive cultural tourism. Projects often integrate accessibility upgrades, green retrofit measures, and digital presentation technologies. For destinations like Stratford (theatre), Niagara (wine and culture), Kingston and the 1000 Islands (heritage), and Ottawa (national museums), CCSF can contribute to sustainable, year‑round cultural visitation.

Youth employment and seasonal workforce

Canada Summer Jobs for tourism and wage subsidies for seasonal tourism staff can help employers, including attractions and festivals, hire youth and students. Co‑op/internship wage subsidies in tourism support workforce development, customer service training funding, and first aid/CPR training funding for attractions, improving safety and service quality during peak seasons.

Indigenous and rural tourism funding

Indigenous Tourism Ontario (ITO) and related streams

Indigenous tourism funding Ontario helps communities and entrepreneurs develop market‑ready experiences, cultural centres, and training. Indigenous cultural centre funding can include interpretive spaces, performance venues, and craft markets, while Indigenous tourism training programs build skills in hospitality, guiding, and business operations. Partnerships with Destination Ontario, RTOs, and municipalities support storytelling, authenticity, and community benefits.

Rural tourism grants Ontario

Rural tourism grants in Ontario assist small towns and counties with trail development, waterfront revitalization, wayfinding/kiosks/visitor centre funding, and destination branding grants for small towns. Projects can address farm stay grants, agri‑tourism grants, culinary tourism grants, craft beer tourism funding, spirits/distillery tourism grants, and agri‑food tourism funding. Rural streams often emphasize community benefits, place‑making, and economic diversification.

Sector‑specific priorities for 2025

Infrastructure upgrades for accommodations, attractions, and outdoor assets

Tourism infrastructure funding in Ontario spans hotel renovation grants, motel upgrades funding, resort expansion grants (notably in Muskoka and Haliburton Highlands), campground improvement funding in Northern Ontario, and marina upgrades grants around Georgian Bay. Waterfront development funding covers boat launches, accessible beach mats, flood/erosion mitigation, and ferry dock improvements. Trail development grants support trail signage and bridges grants Ontario, cycling tourism infrastructure funding, snowmobile/ATV trail grants Ontario, and Nordic trail grooming equipment.

Destination marketing, branding, and content

Destination marketing grants Ontario finance campaign development, media buying, and tourism marketing co‑op initiatives led by DMOs/DMOs and operators. High‑value activities include tourism website redesign grants Ontario, SEO and multilingual content grants, content creation funding tourism (photography/video grants tourism), and influencer marketing tourism funding where appropriate. Marketing to U.S. visitors grants Ontario and international travel trade marketing funding help destinations convert export‑ready experiences through trade shows, familiarization tours, and B2B distribution.

Digital adoption and technology enablement

Digital adoption grants for tourism Ontario enable operators to modernize CRM and data, choose a ticketing platform, implement e‑commerce ticketing grants Ontario, and integrate an online booking engine. Projects can also include AR/VR experience grants tourism, technology adoption funding for hotels, and cyber security grants for tourism SMEs to protect guest data and transaction systems. Market‑ready digital architecture improves conversions, guest communications, and reporting and outcomes.

Workforce development, training, and wage subsidies

Tourism workforce training grants Ontario cover customer service training funding, health and safety training grants Ontario, food safety training grants for festivals, apprenticeship and hospitality training grants, and the Canada‑Ontario Job Grant for tourism training. Wage subsidies for seasonal tourism staff and youth tourism employment funding Ontario help stabilize operations during peak seasons in Niagara, Toronto, Ottawa, Blue Mountains/Collingwood, and Prince Edward County.

Sustainable tourism and accessibility

Sustainable tourism grants Ontario support energy efficiency grants tourism, heat pump rebates for hotels, green retrofit plans, and eco‑tourism funding. Projects may pursue green tourism certification funding Ontario, waste reduction grants for attractions, and water conservation grants tourism. Accessibility grants for attractions in Ontario focus on AODA compliance, accessible beach/waterfront mats grants, accessible trail design, wayfinding, tactile and bilingual signage, and barrier‑free facilities.

Regional focus: examples across Ontario

Ontario’s diversity allows projects to target specific markets:

- Toronto tourism grants: music festival funding, film‑induced tourism development, museum exhibit modernization, MICE (meetings and conferences) programming.

- Ottawa tourism grants: national capital events, heritage site restoration, bilingual signage grants for tourism in Ontario, and sport event hosting grants Ontario.

- Niagara tourism grants: wine route funding, culinary tourism funding, export‑ready wine and culinary experiences, and Niagara wine festival funding.

- Muskoka tourism funding: resort expansion, wellness/spa tourism grants, marina upgrades, EV charging grants for hotels and resorts.

- Prince Edward County tourism funding: culinary and agri‑tourism, destination branding, content creation, and farm stays.

- Kingston/1000 Islands tourism funding: heritage theatre restoration grants Ontario, waterfront revitalization, and cycling tourism.

- Blue Mountains/Collingwood tourism funding: ski and four‑season product development, trail improvements, and wayfinding.

- Bruce Peninsula/Georgian Bay tourism grants: hiking trail improvements, boat launch improvements funding, and dark sky/astrotourism funding Ontario.

- London/Sarnia and Windsor‑Essex tourism grants: sport tourism hosting grants, waterfront redevelopment, and tourism recovery grants.

- Sudbury/North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie/Algoma, Kenora/Dryden/NW Ontario: northern community tourism funding FedNor, NOHFC experience development funding, and Indigenous partnerships.

Eligibility, cost‑share, and application process

Typical eligibility criteria

Eligibility varies by program but generally considers applicant type (non‑profit, municipality, Indigenous government, business), project alignment with tourism outcomes, financial capacity, and readiness. Grants for tourism businesses Ontario may require a minimum level of market‑readiness, audited financials, and evidence of matching funds. Destination marketing organization funding Ontario and RTO grants often require partnership letters, regional alignment, and shared KPIs such as visitation, room nights, spend, and media reach.

Matching funds, in‑kind, and stackability

Many programs are cost‑shared, with matching grants tourism Ontario requiring applicants to contribute cash and, in some cases, documented in‑kind contributions. Stackability—the ability to combine federal, provincial, and municipal grants—may be allowed up to a defined percentage of eligible costs; always check application guidelines. Non‑repayable contributions tourism can be blended with low‑interest loans and grants tourism where capital intensity is high (e.g., heritage restoration, major attractions).

How to apply for tourism grants in Ontario

- Define the project: objectives, visitor experience, target markets, and measurable outcomes.

- Build a budget: include eligible expenses, contingency, and cost‑share; prepare a sample budget for Ontario tourism grant applications.

- Confirm eligibility criteria and intake window: note deadlines for Ontario festival grants 2025 and other intakes.

- Gather documentation: governance resolutions, audited financials, quotes, designs, permits, and letters of support.

- Strengthen the case: show incremental visitation, alignment with RTO strategies, accessibility and sustainability measures, and risk management (event security funding).

- Submit a complete application: follow application guidelines, upload forms, and ensure signatures and attachments meet size/format rules.

Budgeting and financials

A strong project budget details direct costs (infrastructure, signage, equipment, marketing, training), soft costs (design, engineering), and project management. Cost categories should map to eligible expense lists, with separate lines for HST where applicable, and a clear statement of matching funds sources. Include in‑kind contributions only if permitted; provide valuation methodology for donated materials, volunteer time, or land. Maintain a cash flow plan aligned with milestone‑based claims and reporting and outcomes requirements.

Timelines, intake windows, and reporting

Programs use intake windows, continuous intakes, or multi‑stage processes (EOIs followed by full applications). Build a calendar to track when Experience Ontario grant deadlines open, RTO partnership calls, and tourism Growth Program Ontario intakes. After approval, recipients must meet reporting schedules, document KPIs (visitation, room nights, media value, sales), and retain records for audits.

Examples of eligible projects by theme

- Festivals and events: programming enhancements, headline talent, bilingual communications, accessibility services, safety/risk management, legacy/impact assessment funding for events.

- Infrastructure and placemaking: wayfinding signage grants Ontario, kiosks, visitor centre upgrades, trail bridges, waterfront boardwalks, accessible ramps, and observation platforms.

- Digital and technology: ticketing system upgrade funding, booking engines, CRM, AR/VR experiences, cyber security improvements.

- Sustainability and energy: energy efficiency retrofits, heat pumps, EV charging grants for hotels Ontario, water conservation systems, waste reduction and recycling stations.

- Workforce and training: customer service, health and safety, first aid/CPR, food safety for festivals, apprenticeship pathways, and Canada‑Ontario Job Grant tourism training.

- Market development: international marketing grants, U.S. market promotion funding, destination branding, photography/video content, multilingual SEO.

Measuring outcomes and ensuring impact

Tourism funding programs prioritize measurable outcomes: incremental visitors, extended length of stay, average spend, seasonality balance, and community benefits. Include KPIs such as ticket sales, hotel occupancy, STR performance, web conversions, partner cost‑share leveraged, accessibility upgrades completed, and emissions reduced via green retrofit. For northern development and Indigenous partnerships, report community benefits, employment outcomes, and cultural preservation indicators.

Key takeaways and next steps

- Ontario offers a broad range of tourism grants and funding across events, infrastructure, marketing, digital adoption, workforce, sustainability, Indigenous tourism, rural development, and Northern Ontario.

- Align your project with program objectives, regional strategies (RTOs), and market‑ready or export‑ready standards.

- Plan early for matching funds and deadlines, prepare a complete budget and documentation, and demonstrate clear, measurable tourism outcomes.

- Consider stackability with federal, provincial, and regional programs, and ensure compliance with accessibility and sustainability requirements to improve competitiveness.