Tourism has had a profound impact on Ontario’s reputation as one of the most economically successful, culturally diverse, and geographically beautiful regions on earth. By hosting tourism events and investing in new tourism-related initiatives, there is opportunity to bring long-term improvements and sustain this reputation.
Thankfully, the Ontario provincial government offers organizations several funding programs that support innovative tourism projects. One of these is the Tourism Development Fund (TDF), which helps not-for-profit organizations and municipalities to develop R&D based innovation and emerging tourism sectors, tourism investment attraction, and support industry capacity building.
The Tourism Development Fund offers non-repayable funding of up to 50% of total eligible costs.
There is an ongoing intake for this program, but applications should be submitted a minimum of four months prior to the start of the project.
Deep Dive into the Tourism Development Fund (TDF)
The Tourism Development Fund was designed to encourage the competitiveness of Ontario’s tourism sector organizations, support the development of quality tourism products, improve the rate of attendees to tourist attractions, and encourage private sector tourism investment in Ontario. Via the program, successful applicants may receive up to 50% in Ontario government funding.
Applicant Eligibility
Applicants interested in tourism grants offered by the program must be in existence for one year or longer and operate as one of the following:
- Municipality
- Tourism Association (excluding Regional Tourism Organizations)
- Not-for-Profit Organization
- National and/or Provincial Sector Association
Eligible Projects
The Tourism Development Fund encourages three key streams:
- Tourism Product Development Stream: Develop and/or implement research-based innovative and emerging tourism sector projects.
- Tourism Investment Attraction Stream: Encourage new private sector tourism investment in Ontario.
- Industry Capacity Building Stream: Ensure that the tourism industry is well positioned to make future strategic decisions, address issues and opportunities, and improve its image as an economic driver for Ontario.
Eligible Expenses
Eligible expenses include:
- Research costs
- Consulting services and project management
- Organizational development and capacity building
- Tourism sector strategic planning
- Project-related permits, fees, and other similar charges
- Business plan support, economic assessments, and feasibility studies
- Conference organization costs including speaker fees
- Other costs deemed reasonable
Expenses cannot be incurred prior to approval and the project duration is typically one year.
Access Ontario Government Funding for Tourism
Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and should be submitted a minimum of four months prior to the start of the project.
If your organization and project meet the above eligibility criteria, please contact Mentor Works and we can kick off your application!