Community Economic Development and Diversification (CEDD) in the Prairie provinces

• Supporting documents, including incorporation documents and proof of signing authority.
• Other supporting documentation such as a business plan detailing your organization and the proposed project.
• Financial statements for the past 2 years.
• Interim financial statements for at least the last 6 months.
• Confirmation of non-PrairiesCan project funding, such as bank statements, unused portions of lines of credit, official letters of intent, funding agreements, or signed term sheets.

Who is eligible?

• Incorporated not-for-profits, including industry associations, economic development organizations, cultural organizations, and societies.
• Post-secondary educational institutions.
• Co-operatives.
• Indigenous organizations, including Indigenous-led not-for-profit organizations and Indigenous-owned businesses.
• Municipalities and all other municipal-type organizations, as well as provincial or crown corporations or organizations, provided the financial assistance will not be used for capital or ongoing operational requirements.

Eligible expenses

• Operations and maintenance.
• Personnel costs, including salary and benefits.
• Equipment purchase and lease.
• Information management and information technology acquisitions.
• Legal, administrative, accounting, licensing, permits and consulting fees; rents, leases and leasehold improvements; acquisitions of proprietary processes; interest charges, insurance, fees and taxes; supplies and transportation; and capital improvements related to projects.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Costs deemed unreasonable, not incremental, or not directly related to project activities.
• Refinancing of existing debt and costs of amortization.
• Land and building acquisition.
• Contingencies and goodwill.
• Costs incurred before the proposed project start date or before submitting an expression of interest.

• EOIs with the strongest merit and alignment with program objectives, priority areas, and significant economic benefits are invited to complete a full application.
• Applications are evaluated on their ability to achieve the CEDD objectives.
• Applications are assessed on economic impact, project viability, market potential, management capability, financial capacity, and economic benefits.
• Applications are assessed on alignment with departmental, regional, and governmental priorities, and on compliance with applicable legislation and regulatory or permit requirements.

• Review the Before you apply materials and confirm your organization can enter into legally binding agreements.
• Log in to the PrairiesCan portal.
• Complete the Expression of Interest form using the CEDD EOI help guide.
• Attach the required supporting documents and confirmation of non-PrairiesCan project funding.
• Submit the EOI form through the PrairiesCan portal.
• If selected, submit the detailed full application through the online portal.

• If approved, you will be invited to enter into a contribution agreement with PrairiesCan.
• The contribution agreement outlines the terms and conditions of the payments towards the project and must be signed within 30 days of notification.
• The agreement cannot be signed until all funding sources are confirmed.
• You must provide periodic progress reports at least twice per year, and the reports should accompany claims for project cost reimbursement during the same period.
• You must provide annual financial statements from project start date to the end of the repayment period, if applicable, and track and report on key project activities, milestones, and deliverables up to the final reporting date.

• For more information, contact a PrairiesCan regional office at 1-888-338-9378.
• The program accepts a continuous intake process with a two-step application process.
• Applicants selected after the expression of interest stage are invited within 30 days to submit a complete application.
• PrairiesCan typically makes funding decisions within 90 business days after receiving a duly completed application with satisfactory supporting documentation.