Federal Funding Available through Eastern Ontario Development Program (EODP)
Many businesses in Eastern Ontario are aware of the Eastern Ontario Development Fund (EOF) offered by the Province of Ontario, but many will be interested to know that there is additional funding for their region in the form of the Eastern Ontario Development Program (EODP). EODP is funded by FedDev Ontario and delivered by the Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) in Eastern Ontario, and has been active for the past 10 years. In 2013, FedDev Ontario recommitted $48M to the program for five years, to be delivered through the 15 individual CFDCs in the region as well as via the Eastern Ontario Community Futures Development Corporations Network Inc (EOCFDC Network).
How to Access Information on Funding Available through EODP
Interested applicants can reach out to their local CDFC to apply for funding. The EOCFDC Network will be providing their funding to support larger, collaborative projects that span multiple communities in Eastern Ontario.
Projects eligible for funding through EODP should focus on one of three objectives:
- Business Development: Promote or support growth of new and existing businesses in Eastern Ontario.
- Community Innovation: Advance community economic development to enhance and diversify local economies.
- Collaborative Economic Development Projects: Larger scale, multi-community projects with a broad, collaborative approach to economic development that contribute to diversified economy, new job and employment opportunities, and community prosperity. This objective is managed by the EOCFDC Network.
Applicants eligible for funding through EODP include:
- Not-for-profit organizations
- Commercial businesses across all sectors
- Post-secondary institutions
- Aboriginal Organizations
FedDev Ontario Priority Focus Areas
Due to the comprehensive focus on economic development, exact project types can vary. FedDev Ontario has indicated some project areas as being priority for the program, including:
EODP project focus areas for existing business:
- Productivity Enhancements (ex: ICT adoption, energy retrofits, new technologies and and productivity assessments)
- Market diversification
- Innovation/product development (R&D)
- Succession planning
- Industry cluster development and expansion
- Labour market development (skills gap analysis, skills development, worker transition)
- Strategic planning & research studies
- Business Incubators
- Supply chain analysis & development
- Training & mentoring
- Business start-ups
EODP project focus areas for economic diversification:
- Industry cluster development and expansion
- Labour market development (skills gap analysis, skills development, worker transition)
- Strategic planning & research studies
EODP project focus areas for business infrastructure:
- Business Incubators
- Supply chain analysis & development
EODP project focus areas for new business development:
- Training & mentoring
- Business start-ups
Priority Focus Areas for Community CFDC’s
Each community CFDC will have EODP priorities within these priority areas for their own communities outlined in their application guidelines.
Costs Eligible for Funding through EODP
- Labour expenses
- Expertise (3rd party)
- Non-capital costs such as trade shows
- Capital Equipment – this cost’s eligibility varies by CFDC.
Contributions will be up to 50% of eligible costs up to $50K per project. Recipients cannot receive more $100K over the 5 year timeframe of the project (April 1, 2014 – December 31, 2018).
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