CME SMART Prosperity Now Small Business Grants Deadline Extension

The Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) have announced that theCME SMART Prosperity Now Program will continue to accept applicants as the program still has capacity to fund a limited number of additional projects. The Ontario government funding program is expected to remain open until May 31, 2013; this date is dependent on the number of successful applications.  All projects that apply to this government grants for small business program must be able to be completed on or before September 30, 2013. Manufacturers that received funding in previous years through this program will be eligible for funding.

CME SMART Prosperity Now is funded through Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev), and contributes 33% of eligible costs with a maximum contribution of $75,000.

Details of Small Business Grants Ontario through CME SMART

CME SMART Prosperity Now is directed at providing government grants for small business manufacturers from Southern Ontario who are developing their business through purchasing new machinery or investing in process improvements to support export expansion activities.  In order to be eligible for these CME Ontario small business grants, manufacturer should be expanding export sales or increasing global competitiveness.  The economic development of Southern Ontario is also a focus of CME SMART Prosperity Now as the program strives to assist companies improve competitiveness and bolster economic growth of communities in the region.  Companies looking to get involved in the Ontario business grants program should plan to create long-term and high-value jobs with the received CME SMART Prosperity Now contribution.  Other terms of eligibility include having been incorporated for a minimum of 2 years and with a payroll of at least 15 employees.

Ontario Small Business Grants Eligible Costs

The following costs are eligible for coverage by CME grants for small business in Ontario:

• Capital Expenditures and installation costs if is a third party installation
• Consulting Fees that do not have a connection to the CME SMART government funding application processes
• External Administration
• New Independent Business Marketing Plans
• Foreign legal, patents, website design, and regulatory approvals/testing. Also, third party development of catalogues/brochures for foreign markets
• Advertising and registering at Trade Shows or Foreign Customer / Dealer Shows
• Packaging redesign by third party including translation costs
• Customer testing of product(s)
• Public Relations / Releases

CME Government Grants for Small Business Deadline

Small and medium-sized manufactures who are interested in this program should apply quickly to ensure they are able to fill the last funding spots available.   While a tentative closing date has been set for May 31^st, it is possible that funding from the small business grants program may be fully allocated before this time.

Learn More about CME SMART Government Small Business Grants

Learn more about this program by choosing from any of the topics below.  If you meet the eligibility criteria click on “Get Started” in order to get in touch with a Canadian government funding expert.

Contact a Canadian Government Funding Expert

There are several ways you can connect with Canadian small business grants and loans experts in order to avoid falling out of the Canadian government funding loop!   You can attend a Free Canadian government funding workshop in Ontario, sign up for a Canadian government funding weekly E-newsletter, or follow our company on LinkedIn.