Regional Funding

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.

County of Simcoe – Entrepreneurial Innovation Fund

The Entrepreneurial Innovation Fund supports Simcoe County-based organizations to create partnerships and enhance service offerings for area entrepreneurs. All supported activities 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 the service must be delivered 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.
The Application intake for 2024 has now closed.

Georgian Angel Network

Provides angel investment and business development support to high-growth potential firms in Simcoe County.

LSRA Aerospace Development Fund

The LSRA Development Fund makes $100,000 a year over 3 years available to businesses that seek to make a new investment at the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport through development of a new facility, or lease of existing facility (minimum 5 year lease). Businesses must invest at least $1,000,000 in their project and complete their project within 2 years of funding approval.

Eligible projects will attract private sector investment; develop the aerospace sector in Simcoe County; create jobs and build talent; lead to broad positive economic impacts; and encourage research, innovation and collaboration.

Regional Tourism Organization 7

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.

Tourism, Culture and Sport Enhancement Fund

The County of Simcoe Tourism, Culture and Sport Enhancement Fund supports and enhances tourism, culture and sport in Simcoe County by investing in initiatives that promote awareness, access, participation and appreciation of the diverse tourism, culture and sport offerings within the County of Simcoe.

Eligible projects should encourage industry collaboration and partnerships; enhancing the visitor experience by supporting innovative and accessible programming; Build organizational capacity in tourism, culture and sport organizations; and contribute to the County of Simcoe’s overall economic health and sense of place.