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Government of Ontario, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Rural Economic Development program — Economic Diversification and Competitiveness Stream
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Oct 1, 2026
Can you get this?
✓Applicant must be a municipality, nonprofit, Indigenous community, local services board, or small business
✓Project must be in an eligible rural area of Ontario
✓Small businesses must be brick-and-mortar with 1–20 employees
✓Cost-share funding; applicant must contribute remaining project costs
What it takes
Read the business development guidelines to learn about eligibility, funding streams, cost-share amounts, and application requirements.
Download the application form.
Submit your completed application by email to RODprogram@ontario.ca on or before the intake deadline.
After the application period closes, the program will assess eligible applications and notify applicants about funding decisions.usually within 3 months of the application deadline
Worth knowing
The third intake deadline of October 1, 2026 has now passed.
The next open application window runs from January 18, 2027 to February 25, 2027.
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