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

Welcoming Visitors: Show Off Your Herd Safely

Welcoming visitors onto your beef operation for tours, sales or informal stock viewings is a great way to connect and tell your story, but it also opens the door to a serious risk: disease. Every visit—whether from neighbours, tourists or family—carries the potential to introduce or spread disease to or from your operation. Good biosecurity practices help manage these risks while also reducing the probability of disease at the herd, national and even international levels. It’s important to understand why biosecurity matters during tours, as well as what actions should be in place before, during and after tours to minimize risk. Why Biosecurity Matters During Tours Biosecurity planning and precautions should be implemented during tours to limit the potential spread of disease to your livestock. This not only helps protect against significant reportable and trade-limiting diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease, but also helps reduce the spread of endemic diseases, such as bovine viral

Health Canada opens consultations on drone pesticide applications

Health Canada is looking at allowing drone applications of pesticides

CWRC review of Canadian wheat breeding innovation system confirms significant gaps and risks

The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) has completed its review of the Canadian wheat breeding innovation system. The review, which was conducted by Synthesis Agri-Food Network, featured comprehensive analysis of related reports and studies, as well as interviews with 29 key stakeholders. This process confirmed three crucial facts about the current wheat breeding landscape in Western Canada: 1. The Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) wheat breeding program is an integral part of western Canadian wheat variety development. 2. The current wheat breeding system is at risk from recent and historic budget cuts, especially at the variety development and pre-market evaluation stages. 3. Wheat breeding is a long-term process and decisions made today will impact agriculture decades into the future. “It’s clear that the status quo is not a viable path forward,” says CWRC chair Jocelyn Velestuk, CWRC chair and a farmer near Broadview, SK. “Our system has been incredibly productive

Protein Industries Canada partners with nine companies to boost domestic food production and strengthen Canada’s food supply chain

Today, Protein Industries Canada announced the second cohort of companies participating in its Strengthening the Canadian Supply Chain Program: nine companies that span the value chain, focused on bringing their supply chains home to Canada and advancing the country’s value-added opportunity. This initiative builds on Protein Industries Canada’s efforts to increase domestic food and ingredient processing as a key market for Canadian crops. By working with companies to Make It Here, Protein Industries Canada is driving increased food production and value-added agriculture in Canada—critical factors for strengthening Canada’s supply chain and economy. “The Government of Canada is committed to shifting Canada’s economy from reliance to resilience—building strength at home and reinforcing the supply chains that secure our prosperity,” said the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. “Through Protein Indust

Rollins, Vaden, and Forst Announce Disposal of Dilapidated USDA Facilities

Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins and Deputy Secretary Stephen A. Vaden, joined by General Services Administrator Edward C. Forst, announced the imminent disposal of the South Building and Braddock Place, returning resources to the American taxpayer, effectuating the vision of President Donald J. Trump, and reducing the real estate footprint of the U.S. Government in the National Capital Region. “This is a long overdue move to protect American taxpayer dollars from being wasted on expensive real estate inside the Washington, D.C. area when our government should be closer to the farmers and ranchers we serve,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. “More than 85 percent of the South Building is unoccupied and there is a $1.6 billion backlog in deferred maintenance. It is simply unacceptable to put these costs on the taxpayer. We are being strong stewards of taxpayer dollars while also ensuring top notch customer service and fulfilling our promises to American farmers.” “P

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service