Grants/Contests/Awards 

Business Benefits Finder (Government of Canada)

Year-round - Local Initiatives Program (Community Futures; Inc. Not-For-Profit only)

Ongoing - Rhyze Up! (Female-led businesses)

June 3 open (until funds are used) - Honey Bee Health Initiative (50% funding)

June 3 open (until funds are used) - Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program 

November 5 deadline - Visual Artists Creation Grant (Ontario Arts Council)

November 6 deadline - Crafts Projects Grant (Ontario Arts Council)

December 1, 2025 deadline (or until funds are used) - Food Safety and Growth Initiative (OMAFA/OMRA)

2025 - Starter Company Plus Grant (Small Business Centre)

2025 - Canada Summer Jobs (wage subsidy, 2024 was 100% funded)

2025 - Young Canada Works

Open:

100 Women Who Care (Bancroft)

Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program: Access to Capital

Applied Research and Development Grant
Alliance Grant (R&D partnerships with educational institutions and businesses)

Benefits and Grant Finder (search tool)

Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund (FACE)

Black Opportunity Fund (contact for current funding availability)

BITS Bucks (Up to $5,000 grant/loan for youth 18-34)

Canada-Ontario Jobs Grant (Up to $10,000 for training)

Canadian Digital Adoption Program (Up to $15,000)

CIP Programs (Signage and façade) – Marmora and Lake, Tweed, Centre Hastings (2024 closed)

Community Futures Local Initiatives Program (L.I.P.) (Up to $3,500 for incorporated not-for-profits)

Digital Main Street (Up to $2,500)

Eastern Ontario Development Fund (up to 15% funding to a maximum of $5 million)

First Nations Women’s Entrepreneurship program (FNWE) (Loans and grants up to $15,000)

Funding for WMCO wood manufacturing members (expenses up to $100,000 at 45% funding)

Grow Your Business Online Grant ($2,400)

Hockey Canada - Call for Indigenous Artists 

Honey Bee Health Initiative (cost-sharing up to $25,000)

Mitacs Entrepreneur International (up to $5,000 travel grant)

ODSP Start Up Benefit (Up to $500 for training and business costs)

Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund (partial funding)

PEFIP (Poultry and Egg On-Farm Investment Program)

R.A.I.S.E (Racialized and Indigenous Supports for Entrepreneurs, up to $10,000)

Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (various programs)

Venture-Capital Ready (investment training for women entrepreneurs)

See Training and Workforce section for recruitment funding support

Loans
BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada) 
BITS Bucks (Business In The Streets) - Up to $5,000 grant/loan for youth 18-34

Black Opportunity Fund 

Business Scale-up and Productivity - FedDev Ontario

Community Economic Development Diversification - FedDev Ontario 

Community Futures 

DELIA - Microloans for underserved women

FACE (Federation of African Canadian Economics)
FCC Women Entrepreneur Program

Futurpreneur - Ages 18-39

IAPO First Nations Farm & Business Financing
PARO - Women
WEOC (Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada)

Workshops, Events, Education

October 8, 10am - Rainbow Registered Information Session (CGLCC)

October 15, 10am - Creating Engaging Content (MellowBrew Marketing)

October 16, 4-7pm - Fall Social in Bancroft (Hastings County)

October 18 - Business Excellence Awards (Madoc & District Chamber of Commerce)

October 20-26 - Small Business Week
October 22, 9-10:30am - Mastering Financial Management (Eastern Fluid Power Inc.)

October 22-23 - Ontario Tourism Summit (Hamilton)
October 24, 4-7pm - Fall Social in Marmora (Hastings County)

October 29, 1-2pm - Introduction to Sustainable & Regenerative Tourism (GreenStep)
October 29, 4-7pm - Fall Social in Tweed (Hastings County)

October 30, 10am - Integrating AI Into Your Business (Cristian Urroz-Urroz)

November - Heart of Hastings Christmas Tour
November 6, 10am-11:30am - Succession Planning (Eastern Fluid Power In0c.)

November 7, 10am - Mastering E-Commerce with MailChimp (Jennifer Baker Consulting)

November 12, 10am - Social Media Strategy (MellowBrew Marketing)

November 13, 9am-5pm - Unlocking Funding Success: Fundraising & Grant Writing For Non-For-Profits (Small Business Centre, in-person)

November 13-14 - SaaS North Conference (Ottawa) - PARO has organized a delegation of women-owned companies 

 
Open/On Demand:

BDC Learning Centre

OBCT (Ontario Building Trades and Construction) Newsletter

Ontario Chamber of Commerce Webinars

Small Business Centres Ontario: Business Basics, Start-Up, Business Growth

Start Now Incubator for Women Entrepreneurs

StrikeUp - Digital conference for women entrepreneurs

Teeny Tiny Summits

Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub  (WEKH)
Product Testing at Loyalist College - Contact Loyalist Industry Partnership Officer Laurie Caouette LCaouette@loyalistcollege.com

Reports

Our Economic and Tourism Development Staff collect and analyze statistics, conduct research and review reports regularly. This helps inform our plans and programming, and should also serve to help you with your business planning.