Business Funding Outlook for 2014: A Fantastic Year for Accessing Government Funding

View the original article on www.mentorworks.ca for links to specif...

2013 saw billions in government funding flow into small and mid-sized businesses across Canada. It was a great year for our clients, and with several new funding initiatives launching as well as many popular programs being replenished in 2014; this year will be a great year for your business to finally dive into Canadian government funding.

Canadian & Ontario Business Grants for Agriculture and Agri-Food

In 2014 agriculture and agri-food will remain one of the most substantially funded sectors. The recently launched Local Food Fund is offering Ontario government grants to help support the demand for and awareness of local food in Ontario. The program has been allotted $10 million and will fund up to 50% of projects costs.

Small Businesses Continue to Leverage Growing Forward 2 Government Grants & Loans

Meanwhile, Growing Forward 2 offers a number of funding opportunities, including capacity building and implementation projects that fund from 50 to 75% of eligible project costs under the provincial stream of Growing Forward 2 organizations and collaborations. Our clients have also accessed funding set aside for Food and Agri-Product Processors, as well as the popular programs like AgriMarketing through the Growing Forward 2’s federal stream. With 2 streams of funding, AgriMarketing aims to enhance the marketing capacity of industries by allowing them to identify marketing priorities and thereby increasing their chances of global success. AgriMarketing’s Market Development Streamfunds SMEs up to 50% or $50,000 of their eligible expenses, with the Assurance System’s stream handling larger industry-led initiatives.

Mentor Works is Carefully Watching Out for Renewal of Funding for Capital Expenditures and HR & Training

With the fiscal year beginning in April of 2014, Mentor Works is patiently awaiting the renewal of two very popular funding programs, Yves Landry government grants for high skilled and training and CME Smart Prosperity Now funding for capital expenditures to assist with export expansion capabilities. Funding through Yves Landry covers up to 50% or $50,000 to support training related to the adoption of new technology and or processes or procedures related to business expansion. CME Smart Prosperity Nowsupports projects that improve operational efficiency, reduce waste, or contribute to global expansion efforts.

New Suite of Funding Programs Offered through FedDev Ontario

FedDev Ontario recently launched a new suite of Canadian business grants and loans called Southern Ontario Prosperity Initiatives worth $530 million collectively Included within the suite of programs is a program that we have supported in the past called Investing in Business Innovation (IBI), as well as new programs including Investing in Business Growth and Productivity (IBGP), Investing in Commercialization Partnerships (ICP), and Investing in Regional Development (IRD). These initiatives amount to more than half a billion dollars in funding for firms from early stage-start-ups, to SMEs and Not-For-Profits to grow and develop their businesses and communities. To help educate our clients about these exciting new programs we are offering a series of complimentary government funding workshops and webinars. We will also discuss the newly released $200 million Advanced Manufacturing Fundwithin our exclusive presentations.

IRAP Funding Will Continue to Play a Significant Role in Our Clients’ Funding Strategies

The Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) will continue to be a big part of many of our clients’ respective cash flow strategies. IRAP fundingcan be used to solve a technical or innovation problem. Through the use of IRAP our clients have leveraged up to over $100K for projects as diverse as improving websites and developing e-commerce portals, to ERP or CRM upgrades and implementation, software development, and more.

Grants for Hiring Recent Graduates and Skilled Professionals Front and Center Again in 2014

Programs offered by funding organizations to assists small to mid-sized businesses to hire skilled professionals and recent graduates have always been among the most popular programs highlighted within Mentor Works’ presentations and online content, as they are obviously among the most widely accessible of government grants opportunities available. Leading up to 2014, we saw a new program called the Youth Employment Fund release, adding to a handful of other programs left over from 2013. With the majority of funding for hiring programs being released in April 2014, we are looking forward to programs offered through Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), the extremely popular Career Focus funding programs.

Attend a Free Canadian Government Funding Workshop and/or Webinar

Take your first step to greater financial stability and success by signing up for a Canadian government funding workshop or webinar, offered free of charge to owners and leaders of established small to mid-sized businesses. You can also sign up for our Canadian government funding weekly e-newsletter.

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Keith Kreps Appointed President of 21st Century Equipment

Scottsbluff, Neb. — 21st Century Equipment is proud to announce the appointment of Keith Kreps as President, effective July 1, 2025. Kreps steps into the role following five years as chief operating officer and brings more than two decades of executive leadership experience in the agriculture equipment industry.

Crop Outlook Improves Across Alberta, But Peace Region Remains Parched

Timely rains in June have brought some much-needed relief to Alberta’s crop producers, particularly in the Central, parts of the Southern, and North West regions. While conditions have improved significantly in recent weeks, it’s a mixed bag across the province — and farmers in the Peace Region are still waiting for a true turnaround. As of June 30, provincial crop conditions are sitting at 61% good to excellent. That’s a full 11-point jump from mid-June, though still trailing the 5- and 10-year averages by 8 and 6 points, respectively. Spring cereals are ahead of schedule, with most regions reporting progress that surpasses typical benchmarks. In the South, cereals are already heading out, while Central and North West areas are mostly at the boot stage. Broadleaf crops like canola, dry peas, lentils, and mustard are flowering earlier than normal across the board — a positive sign, but one that hinges on moisture availability through the critical reproductive stages. Surface moisture

Five Manitoba students awarded with scholarships from MCGA

Manitoba Canola Growers Association (MCGA) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 high school scholarship program, awarding five $1,000 scholarships to graduating students in Manitoba. This year’s recipients are heading into a variety of academic paths, from nursing to engineering, but all share a strong connection to rural life and caring for the land. Whether headed to large universities or faith-based institutions, each student expressed a passion for contributing to their communities and pride in their agricultural roots. The 2025 MCGA scholarship recipients are: Addison Bruce, Miami, MB: Bachelor of Science Sarah Krahn, Rivers, MB: Pre-Nursing, Bachelor of Science Addison Schmidt, Elm Creek, MB: Briercrest College and Seminary Makenna Sumner, Neepawa, MB: Bachelor of Science Trent Tomoniko, Franklin, MB: Bachelor of Science in Engineering “The talent and dedication we saw in this year’s applications were truly inspiring,” says Warren Ellis, Chair of MCGA. “These st

Crop Report for the Period July 1 to July 7, 2025

Growing conditions throughout Saskatchewan continue to vary. Rainfall and warm temperatures in some areas are allowing crops to progress nicely, while other areas continue to experience dry conditions which is stressing crops and leading to rapid development. There was less rainfall last week than the week prior, with the Hanley area receiving the most in the province with 44 millmetres (mm). The Serath area received the second highest rainfall with 33 mm, followed closely by the Lampman and Semans areas with 32 mm and 28 mm, respectively. Other areas received much needed rainfall, but producers are hoping for more in the coming weeks. Limited rainfall in many areas has caused soil moisture levels to drop since last week. Currently, provincial cropland topsoil moisture is 55 per cent adequate, 33 per cent short and 12 per cent very short. For hayland, topsoil moisture is 43 per cent adequate, 38 per cent short and 19 per cent very short. Finally, moisture levels in pasture topsoil is

Advancing monitoring and decision-making tools for wireworm in Alberta

Why is this research important for Alberta ag? Wireworm is a serious pest for many growers, particularly in the Prairies, where there are 3-4 dominant species. The damaging larvae live for several years in the soil, feed on multiple crops, and have patchy distributions. For these reasons, wireworm is difficult to monitor, and no economic thresholds are currently available. As new chemical seed treatments enter the marketplace, there is an obvious need for a decision-making framework for wireworm management to help producers with questions like if and when to invest in chemical seed treatments. Since wireworm is the primary reason that cereal seeds are treated with insecticides on the Prairies, the information gathered from this research can potentially reduce unnecessary pesticide use. This research will explore the possibility of using overhead imagery to detect wireworm damage patches, how damaged patches differ from undamaged areas, and methods and intensity of sampling needed to

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service