Business Grants Ontario: IESO Conservation Fund Overview
The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) is responsible for coordinating province-wide conservation efforts, planning the electricity system for the long term, and contracting for clean electricity resources. Their goal is to transform Ontario’s electricity system by helping to reduce energy use, maintain reliability, and establish a clean, modern and cost-effective power grid for a sustainable future.   As such, the IESO continues to head up numerous energy conservation initiatives across Ontario that impact residential, commercial and industrial sectors. The IESO Conservation Fund Ontario small business grants have, and will continue to play a vital role in the IESO’s success in furthering their conservation goals for the province. The IESO Conservation Fund is focused on providing business funding grants support to small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) that design and execute innovative energy saving initiatives.
Government Grants for Small Business in Ontario
With a unique range of opportunities, sectors and projects eligible for funding for small business under this initiative, the key factors for success are associated with having a project that has potential impact on the energy sector in Ontario. Eligible projects for government grants for small business include:
- Programs
- Tools
- Training Programs
- Community of Practice
- Strategic Research
- Emerging Technology Demonstration
- Emerging Technology Development
Government Funding for Small Businesses Details
Ontario business grants are available through the IESO Conservation Fund initiative. Funding decisions will be made through the 2-Stage Conservation Fund Application Process. The amount of small business funding grants allocated according to the type of project submitted and the amount of the project cost as per the following table.
| Project Category | Maximum IESOÂ support for project/Maximum % of project costs |
| Program | $500,000 / 75% |
| Tool | $500,000 / 75% |
| Training Program | $250,000 / 75% |
| Community of Practice | $250,000 / 75% |
| Strategic Research | $100,000 / 100% |
| Emerging Technology Demonstration | $500,000 / 75% |
| Emerging Technology Development | $250,000 / 75% |
| Strategic Opportunities Stream | $1,000,000 / 50% |
IESOÂ Funding for Small Business Success Stories
An Ontario supplier of engineering, project and construction management services received a funding for small business grant of $398,000 to develop a business case for implementing the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Management Systems for Energy (MSE) standard through pilot implementations at up to 5 manufacturing plants including monitoring the impact on energy consumption and company culture over a 2-year period.
An Ontario municipality received $85,000 in government funding for small business to develop an innovative market transformation program using community-based social marketing tools to increase retailer and consumer awareness of products and services that contribute to enhancing the city’s energy conservation efforts.
Get More Information on IESO Grants for Small Business
If you are looking to learn more about the Conservation Fund, please select from one of the following choices:
Connect with Canadian Government Funding Experts
Information on additional government grants for small business and small business loans can be accessed in a number of ways.  Try clicking on some of the links within this article to connect to related Canadian government funding news and updates, or better yet subscribe to our Canadian government funding weekly E-newsletter so that you do not miss out on the programs that fit your strategic business needs.  We also offer Canadian government funding workshops free of charge, and can be found on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.