Regional development programs for businesses and corporations

Ranked programs

32 open, ongoing or intake-based programs, best score first.

1. Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit (OMMITC) and Expanded OMMITC

   Ontario Ministry of Finance / Canada Revenue Agency

   Corporate income tax credit for investment in new manufacturing and processing buildings and machinery in Ontario. Refundable for Canadian-controlled private...

   OngoingOntarioOther incentivesLimit $3M
   67

   Top pick

2. FedDev Ontario - Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI)

   FedDev Ontario

   Liquidity assistance and pivot-project funding for southern Ontario businesses hurt by U.S. tariffs. Non-repayable for smaller amounts, repayable for large...

   OpenFederalGrantsUp to $20M
   54

   Top pick

3. FedNor - Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI)

   FedNor

   Liquidity assistance and pivot-project funding for Northern Ontario businesses affected by U.S. tariffs.

   OpenFederalGrantsUp to $20M
   44

   Strong

4. Hamilton Commercial District Revitalization Grant (CDRG) Program

   City of Hamilton / Invest in Hamilton

   Matching grant for permanent exterior, accessibility and sustainability improvements to commercial or mixed-use properties in designated Hamilton commercial districts...

   OngoingOntarioGrants
   34

   Worth a look

5. London Industrial Development Charges Grant

   City of London

   Grant equal to a share of development charges for industrial development, redevelopment and adaptive reuse within London's Urban Growth Boundary.

   OngoingOntarioOther incentivesUp to $250K
   34

   Worth a look

6. Site Readiness Program

   Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

   Funding assistance to prepare eligible industrial properties for investment and business expansion opportunities.

   OpenOntarioOther incentivesUp to $25K
   34

   Worth a look

7. London Core Area Safety Audit Grant

   City of London (Planning and Development)

   Matching grant to improve safety and security of properties in London's Core Area, such as exterior lighting, storefront gates, landscaping and security cameras.

   OngoingOntarioGrantsUp to $10K
   33

   Worth a look

8. NOHFC Invest North - Innovation

   Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)

   Funds applied R&D, demonstration and commercialization projects by Northern Ontario private-sector businesses.

   OngoingOntarioGrantsUp to $2M
   33

   Worth a look

9. Investment Ready: Certified Site Designation

   Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

   A designation for industrial properties that complete program requirements proving they are primed for development, with partial reimbursement of eligible expenses.

   OpenOntarioOther incentivesUp to $50K
   32

   Worth a look

10. Kitchener Downtown Façade Grant Program

    City of Kitchener

    Matching grants for street-facing façade improvements to downtown Kitchener buildings, including storefronts, signage, windows, awnings and AODA accessibility upgrades.

    OpenOntarioGrantsUp to $30K
    31

    Worth a look

11. Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP)

    Ministry of Natural Resources

    Property tax reduction for landowners who prepare and follow an approved Managed Forest Plan; enrolled forest is taxed at 25% of the municipal residential rate.

    OngoingOntarioOther incentives
    31

    Worth a look

12. NSERC Alliance grants and Ontario Centre of Innovation Collaborate 2 Commercialize (C2C)

    NSERC and Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI)

    A joint streamlined funding stream that matches an Ontario company with an Ontario university researcher for a short research collaboration, combining NSERC Alliance...

    OngoingFederalGrantsUp to $50K
    31

    Worth a look

13. Sectoral Workforce Innovation Fund (SWIF)

    Employment and Social Development Canada

    Continuous-intake fund for industry-led workforce projects that scale proven training initiatives, build talent pipelines for national priorities, or mobilize industry...

    OpenFederalGrantsUp to $10M
    31

    Worth a look

14. NOHFC Workforce Development Program (internships)

    Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)

    Funds internship salaries for Northern Ontario employers.

    OngoingOntarioOther incentivesUp to $35K
    30

    Worth a look

15. Union Training and Innovation Program - Infrastructure Expansion

    Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)

    This funding opportunity aims to strengthen Canada's skilled trades workforce by expanding training capacity and modernizing union-led training infrastructure. It funds...

    OpenFederalGrants
    30

    Worth a look

16. London Façade Improvement Loan (Community Improvement Plan)

    City of London (Planning and Development)

    Low-cost loan for exterior building improvements such as windows, doors, brick repair, painting, lighting and attached signage within London's Community Improvement...

    OngoingOntarioLoansLoans up to $50K
    29

    Worth a look

17. NSERC Applied Research and Development (ARD) grants

    NSERC (College and Community Innovation program)

    Supports college-led applied research and development projects with industry partners that contribute cash, helping Ontario colleges solve business problems.

    OngoingFederalGrantsUp to $150K
    29

    Worth a look

18. Southwestern Ontario Development Fund (SWODF)

    Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

    Provincial funding for business expansion and community economic development projects in southwestern Ontario.

    Intake-basedOntarioGrantsUp to $5M
    28

    Worth a look

19. NOHFC Invest North - Locate

    Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)

    Support for businesses locating or relocating operations to Northern Ontario.

    OngoingOntarioGrantsUp to $5M
    26

    Worth a look

20. NOHFC Indigenous Workforce Development Program

    Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)

    Funds salaries for Indigenous interns hired by Northern Ontario organizations.

    OngoingOntarioOther incentivesUp to $53K
    25

    Worth a look

21. FedNor - Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI)

    FedNor

    Supports Northern Ontario business growth (Targeted Manufacturing Initiative) and regional innovation ecosystems (not-for-profits).

    OngoingFederalLoansLoans up to $500K
    23

    Long shot

22. Skills Development Fund (SDF) Capital Stream

    Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development

    Funds capital technical planning and construction or upgrading of skills training centres through two pathways: SEED (planning project taking a design to 40% design...

    OngoingOntarioGrants
    22

    Long shot

23. Eastern Ontario Development Fund (EODF)

    Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

    Provincial funding for business expansion and community economic development projects in eastern Ontario (the program asked about as 'Eastern Ontario Development...

    Intake-basedOntarioGrantsUp to $5M
    21

    Long shot

24. FedDev Ontario - Funding for businesses to innovate, grow and compete (REGI Business Scale-up and Productivity)

    Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario)

    Interest-free, unconditionally repayable contributions for southern Ontario businesses to innovate, scale up, adopt technology and commercialize. Covers new project...

    OngoingFederalLoansLoans up to $10M
    19

    Long shot

25. NOHFC Invest North - Grow

    Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)

    Funding for existing Northern Ontario businesses growing operations (equipment, buildings, IT).

    Intake-basedOntarioGrantsUp to $1M
    19

    Long shot

26. Ontario Shipbuilding Grant Program (OSGP)

    Ministry of Transportation

    Reimburses up to half of eligible costs for projects that strengthen Ontario's shipbuilding industry and supply chain, such as building infrastructure, machinery and...

    OpenOntarioGrants
    19

    Long shot

27. NOHFC Film & Television Program

    Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)

    Conditional contributions for film and television productions spending in Northern Ontario.

    Intake-basedOntarioGrantsUp to $2M
    14

    Long shot

28. Forest Sector Investment and Innovation Program (FSIIP)

    Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry

    Funds strategic investments by Ontario forest-sector manufacturers and collaborations that enhance competitiveness, open new markets and strengthen regional economies...

    Intake-basedOntarioLoansLoans up to $3M
    13

    Long shot

29. Invest Ontario Fund

    Invest Ontario

    Provincial investment-attraction fund offering grants and loans for large job-creating business investments, plus the Critical Minerals Processing Fund.

    OngoingOntarioGrants
    13

    Long shot

30. Canada's Ocean Supercluster - Technology Leadership and Innovation Ecosystem projects

    Canada's Ocean Supercluster (Global Innovation Cluster)

    Co-invests in industry-led ocean technology consortium projects and ecosystem-building activities. Open to Ontario firms that join consortia.

    OngoingFederalGrants
    12

    Long shot

31. FedNor - Regional Defence Investment Initiative (RDII)

    FedNor

    Supports Northern Ontario businesses, not-for-profits and Indigenous-led organizations meeting a specific military need in the defence supply chain.

    Intake-basedFederalLoans
    12

    Long shot

32. Regional Development Program: Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competitiveness (AMIC) Stream

    Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade

    Financial support to advanced manufacturing companies, with a focus on SMEs, for capital equipment, technology adoption and skills development to improve competitiveness.

    Intake-basedOntarioGrants
    12

    Long shot

Questions

How many regional development programs for businesses and corporations are open right now?

Of the 52 regional development programs for businesses and corporations in our database, 25 are open or ongoing and 7 take applications only in intake windows. The rest are closed, paused or of unknown status, so they are not ranked on this page. Counts reflect our last check on Oct 28, 2026; programs can change without notice.

What is the largest published amount among these programs?

FedDev Ontario - Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) publishes the largest figure on this page, shown as "Up to $20M". Published figures are program maximums, caps or limits, not what an applicant should expect to receive; many programs pay a share of eligible costs and amounts depend on your project and eligibility.

Which regional development programs for businesses and corporations rank highest?

Right now the top three by our score are Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit and Expanded OMMITC (67, Top pick), FedDev Ontario - Regional Tariff Response Initiative (54, Top pick), FedNor - Regional Tariff Response Initiative (44, Strong). The score combines the size of the published amount, how much work an application takes, how likely an eligible applicant is to succeed and how many people qualify.

Do I have to pay this money back?

It depends on the program. Grants and incentives are generally not repaid, loans always are, and some contribution agreements are partly or fully repayable, so read the terms of each program. Among the 25 open or ongoing programs here, 15 are in our Grants category, 3 are loans and 7 are other incentives such as tax credits and rebates.

Are these federal or Ontario programs?

9 of the 25 open or ongoing programs here come from the federal government and 16 from the Ontario government. Both levels can usually be combined, but many programs have stacking rules that cap total government funding for the same costs, so check them before you apply.

Is this an official government website?

No. Grants & Loans Finder is an independent research tool. Each program page links to the official source, and applications are always made with the government agency or lender that runs the program.