​​County of Simcoe - In-Market Special Project Fund

The In-Market Special Project Fund is available to organizations to create partnerships and enhance service offerings in Simcoe County for area entrepreneurs.  All activities supported must be non-profit in nature.  To qualify, at least one Small Business Enterprise Centre and one Community Futures Development Corporation must be partners on the project and deliver the service in Simcoe County.   Applications are evaluated by the County's Economic Development Office with approvals from the County's Economic Development Sub-Committee and Committee of the Whole.  

Interested in applying?  The next intake will be accepting applications until January 20, 2023*. 

Email: edo@simcoe.ca​ for more information. 

In-Market Support Special Project Fund Application.pdf

*​​Pending 2023 Budget Approval

Community Futures Development Corporations and Small Business Enterprise Centres

Community Futures Development Corporations can provide a loan of up to $150,000 to start or grow small businesses in Northern Ontario or rural Southern Ontario. They also provide access to business training and planning support. The purpose of these centres is to specifically cater to the localized needs of each community.

Small Business Enterprise Centres offer the Starter Company Plus and Summer Company programs.

Are you an entrepreneur who is starting, growing or buying a business? Through Starter Company Plus, you could be eligible to apply for this mentorship and training program. Once participants have completed this program, they may be eligible to apply for a micro-grant of up to $5,000 to put towards the business.

Summer Company will provide accepted students mentoring, business training and up to $3,000 in funding to start and run their business for the summer. The Small Business Centre will assist you in the development of your business plan and throughout your business operations during the whole summer.

The Small Business Enterprise Centres also provide free consultations with a qualified business consultant, internet and computer access for business research and planning, review of business plans, consultations through a lawyer/accountant referral service, up-to-date, leading-edge information geared to the needs of the entrepreneur, access to current resource materials, including directories, trade indexes and books that entrepreneurs can peruse on-site, workshops and seminars, guidance on licenses, permits, registration, regulations and other forms and documents required to start and build a business, import and export information, information on patents, copyright and trademarks, and mentoring and networking opportunities.

See Partners page for listing and contact information for Community Futures Development Corporations and Small Business Enterprise Centres in Simcoe County.

Georgian Angel Network

Tel: 705-441-4058

Regional Tourism Organization 7 (RTO7)

RTO7 offers a number of funding programs to support private and non-private tourism operators, destination marketing organizations, tourism organizations, municipalities, and associations/interest groups with a primary purpose in tourism in Bruce Grey and Simcoe Counties. They offer Partnership Programs and Implementation Programs.

Tel: 705-888-8728

Email

Website

​​​​​​​​​​Sandbox Centre

The Sandbox is Ontario's first private sector-led innovation hub, with a core focus of connecting established organizations and scaling businesses in Central Ontario with professional development, peer support, and growth opportunities. The Sandbox is also home to the Small Business Centre of Barrie, Orillia & Simcoe County and Innovators Alliance CEO group, and is located above the downtown Barrie Transit Terminal.
Website​

Public Library Services

Available to all municipalities

Tel: 705-728-1010 ext. 7014​

Email

Website

Provides businesses with access to the P-Census, which supports informed local marketing decisions by disclosing neighbourhood-level spending information, and Dun and Bradstreet’s Business Directory, to better assess local supply chain opportunities and challenges. Also provides business planning and development workshops and resources through specialized business librarian services.

Chambers of Commerce

See Partners page for listing and contact information for Chambers of Commerce in Simcoe County.

Provides support to the local business community through networking opportunities, advocacy, and involvement in local projects to improve the business climate of the community.

Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium - Barrie/Midland Branch

Tel: 1-866-323-4362

Georgian College

Tel: 705-728-1968

Lakehead University

Tel: 1- 807-343-8871

Simcoe-Muskoka Workforce Development Board

Tel: 1-800-337-4598

VentureLAB

Tel: 905-248-2727

VentureLab is a Regional Innovation Centre based in Markham, Ontario. They provide in depth assistance throughout the business development process with their BUILD program, and a number of useful events throughout the year. Although everyone is welcome to access their services, they specialize in working with innovative companies in the technology and health sectors.

Employment Assistance

Agilec™ Barrie | Innisfil ​

Barrie: 705-728-0897​​​
Innisfil: 705-431-2255​

Bradford Works

Tel: 905-778-9​​058​

Tel: 705-725-8990 Ext. 0

Tel: 1-866-483-2158

Tel: 705-435-9821

Georgian College Employment Services Barrie

Tel: 705-722-1505

Georgian College Employment Services Orillia

Tel: 705-329-3102

Tel: 705-549-5227

Tel: 705-444-1580

Tel: 705-528-0845