Money Talk Draws A Crowd

Mar 27, 2014

It was an event that Anne Prichard of the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) called “over-subscribed” at Trinity United Church in Verona.

Representatives from all three levels of government outlined in broad terms a number of granting programs that are open to businesses, not-for-profits and municipalities this year to well over 100 people who squeezed into the hall.

Anne Marie Young from Frontenac County and Louise Fragnoto from South Frontenac Township each made short presentations about community grants that are available to community groups. Up to $5,000 is available from Frontenac County for community based projects thst foster sustainablity and economic development. The township of South Frontenac has set aside $10,000 in total for small project grants (up to $2,000) for projects “which provide a new or improved community service or potential economic benefit” that are sponsored by a community group.

Katie Nolan from the Ministry of Farming and the Ministry of Rural Affairs, based in Kemptville, talked about several larger funding initiatives. These include Local Food Grants, the Growing Forward program which is targeted at larger farm operations, as well as Rural Economic Development (RED) grants which have been traditionally accessed by tourism related enterprises in the past. Most of the grants that Katie Nolan talked about are so-called 50-50 grants, the province will provide 50% of the funding necessary and the business or not-for-profit needs to come up with the other 50%. Other grant money can be used to cover some of the other 50% but it can't be from a provincially funded program and there is a minimum cash commitment required in all cases.

Anne Prichard then talked about the Eastern Ontario Development Program, which has been administered by the CFDC for a number of years. The program, which is set to get underway for the coming year on April 1st, has not yet been completely rolled out.

“I wanted to get out and discuss the program today, but there are details that I don't know about yet,” Prichard said.

One thing that she does know is that the EODP will no longer fund 100% of project costs for not-for-profit corporations. From now on, just like the business sector, they will have to cover at least 50% of costs, and in kind donations will not count.

Another change is that website development, for which the CFDC used ot be able to draw on EODP funds, is not longer eligible, although site upgrades of certain kinds, such as developing direct sales capacity, will still be eligible.