Eastern Ontario Development Fund

• Cash flow forecast with sufficient detail on receipts and payments during the project period.
• Copy of articles of incorporation and/or letters patent.
• Corporate family tree showing the parent, affiliates and related entities of the applicant and their relationships.
• Financial statements from the last three fiscal years, audited in accordance with International and Canadian Audit Standards preferred or review engagement financial statements prepared in accordance with CSRE 2400; if applying for a grant and revenues are under $5M, compilation engagement financial statements prepared in accordance with CSRS 4200 may be submitted.

Who is eligible?

• For-profit corporations registered to operate in Ontario.
• Municipalities or Indigenous communities in Eastern or Southwestern Ontario.
• Non-profit incorporated economic development organizations or industry/sector associations.
• Consortia of businesses led by at least one non-profit organization.

Who is not eligible

• Start-up businesses and incubators.
• Businesses related to a current beneficiary through a parent company or owner.
• Primary production, retail, construction, personal services, consulting, electricity generation, waste management, recycling, information and communication services, and academic research.
• Independent restaurants and hotels, unless they are transformative and considered a regional priority.
• Businesses with projects focused on ongoing operations, refinancing, acquisitions, buyouts, or relocation within Ontario.

Eligible expenses

• Construction and improvements or upgrades to the project facility, plus site maintenance, electrical upgrades, and other works needed to execute the project.
• Equipment and machinery needed for the project, including new technologies, high-efficiency equipment and machinery, and maintenance equipment linked to new technologies or systems.
• Non-recurring labour directly associated with the project, specialized labour directly linked to the project for up to two years, and direct materials such as setup, testing, training, and prototypes.
• Specialized expertise, professional training, recruitment or HR planning costs, and permits, inspections, and other fees directly attributable to the project.
• Municipal economic infrastructure that responds to a community priority, and business-attraction costs including presentations and promotional materials.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Ongoing operations, maintenance, capital replacement, refinancing, acquisitions, buyouts, restructuring, and relocating within Ontario.
• Primary production such as mining, agriculture, and forestry; retail; construction; personal services; consulting; electricity generation; waste management; recycling; information and communication services; and academic research.
• Independent restaurants and hotels, unless the project is transformative and considered a regional priority.
• Land or building purchases, landscaping, staff parking, vehicle or off-site equipment costs, and costs outside Ontario except purchases from out-of-Ontario suppliers.
• Proposal preparation, shareholder payments, mergers and acquisitions, travel, hospitality, meals, incidentals, marketing, sales, distribution, shipping, discounts, credits, refunds, debt service, taxes, surtaxes, overhead, rent, in-kind contributions, and staff salary during training or training costs covered by the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development.

Eligible geographic areas

• Eastern Ontario.
• Frontenac.
• Haliburton.
• Hastings.
• Kawartha Lakes.
• Lanark.
• Leeds and Grenville.
• Lennox and Addington.
• Muskoka.
• Northumberland.
• Ottawa.
• Peterborough.
• Prescott and Russell.
• Prince Edward.
• Renfrew.
• Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.

• Extent to which government support enhances or improves project outcomes and/or impacts the project's scope or timelines.
• Broad regional economic benefits, including community needs, sector or cluster impacts, and projects in sectors that play a role in long-term economic sustainability with higher multiplier effects.
• Increased investment readiness or capacity to attract business investment.
• Job creation or retention outcomes, including sustainable jobs, hiring of highly skilled labour, and partnering with post-secondary institutions.
• Increased innovation and productivity; loan applications are also evaluated on secured financing and positive debt service coverage ratios in the three previous years and during the loan term.

• Speak with a regional advisor about your project.
• Access the application form through the Transfer Payment Ontario website and preview the questions on the Central Forms Repository.
• Download the application form and complete Part 1: Eligibility Checklist and Part 2: Application Form only if you are eligible.
• Upload the completed form and all supporting documents on TPON during the application intake period.
• Ensure the application form is authorized by an individual with authority to bind the applicant.

• Applications are assessed only if they are submitted by the application close date and deemed complete.
• Funding decisions are communicated within 60 business days of the application deadline.
• Incomplete applications or material changes to the project after the application period may be deferred to the next intake period, subject to eligibility.
• If approved, applicants must enter into a funding agreement on terms and conditions satisfactory to the Government of Ontario, and before disbursement they must meet conditions including evidence of project financing and insurance.
• Annual reporting, including financial statements, is required, and the agreement may require funds to be repaid in full or in part if performance measures and other terms are not met; written assurance of compliance with Ontario laws, including accessibility legislation, is required.

• For new strategic investment grants, applicants may need to provide evidence of competition from another region and an attestation, and additional documents may be requested to determine eligibility.
• Applications must be submitted by the prospective recipients; third-party submissions will not be considered, and the primary contact on the application form must be an employee of the organization.
• A recommendation to apply or applying to the program does not guarantee funding; the program is discretionary and non-entitlement.
• You need to provide your Tax Compliance Verification (TCV) number in the application form, and approved organizations must show the Tax Compliance Verification certificate.