FedDev Ontario
Community Economic Development & Diversification Program (CEDD)
Receive up to $5,000,000 in Government Funding.
Administered by FedDev Ontario, the Community Economic Development and Diversification Program (CEDD) program aims to create sustainable economic growth in small and rural communities in southern Ontario. Applicants can be businesses or not-for-profit organizations in southern Ontario who are working to diversify and transform their local economies.
The FedDev Ontario Community Economic Development and Diversification Program has two streams:
The CEDD For-Profit Stream supports projects that foster economic development and diversification through increase competitiveness and employment opportunities in small and rural communities in southern Ontario, offering no-interest, repayable contributions from $250,000 up to $5 million per project for incorporated businesses, including Indigenous businesses.
The CEDD Not-For-Profit Stream supports projects that address economic risks and needs of rural and small southern Ontario communities and leads to economic development and diversification in the region, offering non-repayable contributions from $250,000 up to $5 million per project for not-for-profit organizations.
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FedDev Ontario CEDD Program
Amount of Funding
Both For-Profit and Not-For-Profit Streams of the FedDev Ontario Community Economic Development and Diversification Program support up to 50% of awarded project costs:
- For-Profit Stream: no-interest, repayable contributions (loans) from $250,000 up to $5 million per project for incorporated businesses, including Indigenous businesses.
- Not-For-Profit Stream: non-repayable contributions (grants) from $250,000 up to $5 million per project for not-for-profit organizations.
If accepted into the program, applicants can receive funding to directly offset incurred project costs. Companies access funding by reporting approved project expenses, then receive a contribution of up to 50% of those costs. Funding is provided to companies throughout the project and, for awardees of the For-Profit Stream, must be repaid once the project is complete. Generally, these applicants can begin repayment up to one year after the completion of their project.
FedDev Ontario CEDD Program
Eligible Applicants
To qualify for funding through FedDev Ontario’s Community Economic Development and Diversification (CEDD) program’s For-Profit Stream, applicants must be a legally incorporated business located in southern Ontario, including Indigenous-owned businesses.
To qualify for funding through FedDev Ontario’s Community Economic Development and Diversification (CEDD) program’s Not-For-Profit Stream, applicants must be a not-for-profit organization (e.g., municipality, Indigenous organization) located in southern Ontario that supports community economic development and/or diversification.
All applicants must demonstrate:
- Evidence of project funding;
- Managerial, technical, operational and financial capacity to achieve the project’s stated objectives in a timely manner;
- Evidence of opportunities for market/industry growth;
- How the project addresses a gap, including evidence of economic opportunities for community growth and transformation, or emerging or ongoing circumstances that require a targeted response in order to maintain or support economic development or diversification; and
- A viable project plan with achievable outcomes, supported by verifiable cost estimates.
FedDev Ontario CEDD Program
Eligible Activities
Projects Supported by CEDD For-Profit Stream
To be eligible for Community Development and Diversification’s For-Profit Stream, projects must foster community economic diversification and transformation. These projects would improve productivity, capacity, and competitiveness of businesses to increase employment and growth opportunities, as well as enhance the resilience of communities. Project activity examples include:
- Facilities improvement or expansion to support greater economic diversification
- New equipment adoption
- Market development, diversification, or expansion
Projects Supported by CEDD For-Profit Stream
To be eligible for Community Development and Diversification’s Not-For-Profit Stream, projects must enable not-for-profit organizations to improve economic outcomes by addressing gaps or opportunities in the community, and support the advancement of underrepresented groups. Project activity examples include:
- Business attraction, growth and retention programs and services, including supply chain development and succession planning
- Implementation of community and/or regional action plans
- Business incubators and accelerators addressing needs at a sub-regional or community level
Expense Eligibility for FedDev Ontario’s CEDD Program
To develop a strong project proposal for the Community Development and Diversification program, applicants to all streams should build a budget that consists of project-related expenses including:
- Labour;
- Expertise;
- Capital; and
- Non-capital expenses.
FedDev Ontario CEDD Program
Program Deadline
Southern Ontario businesses can apply for the Community Development and Diversification program throughout the year; unlike other Ontario government funding programs, there are no application deadlines to be aware of. Instead, companies should submit their application in relation to their project start date.
Applicants must submit an application package prior to incurring eligible project expenses.
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