Funding will be made available through the Business Sustainability Stream to businesses that employ between 1 and 50 staff, have demonstrated revenue growth, and provide a business case on how the funding will strengthen their existing capacity and support their growth.

The My Main Street Community Activator provides support for community projects in southern Ontario designed to draw visitors and increase local vibrancy. Funding will be allocated to provide non-repayable contributions up to $250,000 to support community not-for-profit projects.

Administered by FedDev Ontario, the Tourism Growth Program (TGP) will provide $108 million over 3 years to support communities, small- and medium-sized businesses and not-for-profit organizations in developing local tourism products and experiences. Eligible applicants include:
•    incorporated small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the tourism industry
•    Indigenous-owned businesses (including Indigenous sole proprietors) or Indigenous tourism organizations
•    not-for-profit organizations (including tourism associations and economic development organizations)
•    governments (municipal/provincial/territorial and related entities)

Experience Ontario 2024 is now accepting applications. Funding is available to eligible in person festivals and events taking place between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025. The program supports in-person festivals and events in our province that will:
•    offer programming encouraging people to travel, experience events in person and celebrate Ontario
•    draw tourists and increase visitor spending through innovative programming in partnership with businesses and community partners
•    provide job opportunities for Ontarians in the tourism, culture and entertainment sectors
•    increase Ontario’s profile through various media channels

If you're a business owner looking to upgrade your digital footprint, The Digital Transformation Grant (DTG) program is accepting applications until October 31st. The program is focused on assisting small businesses with their adoption of technologies. Administered by the Ontario BIA Association, the program provides training, advisory support and grants to brick-and-mortar small businesses looking to increase their capacity through digital transformation.

A Digital Transformation Grant is open to businesses that meet the following requirements:

Has a permanent 'brick-and-mortar' establishment in Ontario,
Is employing 1-50 employees,
Is NOT a home-based business,
Is paying commercial property tax (commercially assessed), either directly or through commercial rent,
Is a registered business in Ontario and/or is incorporated,
Is open for business/operating at the time of application (not a start up),
Is open to the general public for walk-in and onsite purchases of goods and services.
Applicants must complete the Digital Transformation for Main Street program, which includes:

The Digital Main Street Assessment,
Passing the eligibility quiz,
Online training,
Developing a Digital Transformation Plan.

If you have any questions about this program, or require any business assistance, don't hesitate to contact the Lennox & Addington Economic Development Office. Whether you're looking to start a new venture, expand & grow your existing business, or need help with succession planning, their team is there to help.

The Lennox & Addington Community Investment Fund (L&A CIF) is a new initiative undertaken by the L&A Economic Development Team in partnership with community members from across Lennox & Addington. The initiative seeks to be L&A’s first community investment vehicle, allowing local residents to invest in local businesses. The initiative has four core ambitions:
 
1.    Invest in businesses that create demonstrable community benefit
2.    Serve as a bridge for local companies to scale from small operations to employers who can create 5-10 new jobs
3.    Attract creative businesses and innovative entrepreneurs
4.    Be responsive to municipal priorities and community needs
To date, we have been working with a small group of community stakeholders to define core objectives and develop potential models for the L&A CIF and we are now looking to reach a wide group of stakeholders from across L&A to assess interest in the initiative and gauge interest in the different potential models. 
 
County staff will be reaching out to many members of our community directly in the coming weeks but if this initiative sounds like something you may be interested in, we encourage you to reach out directly to the County of Lennox and Addington.

Intake #1 of RTO 9’s Partnership Fund initiative is now open. The purpose of the funding is designed to introduce new tourism products and build on existing tourism products that enhance the region’s diversity of tourism attractions. Current applications will be for projects happening between April 1st and September 6th. There are 3 funding categories available:

•    New Events
•    Development of Indigenous Tourism Product
•    Signage