share

Ontario Investing to Help Franco-Ontarian Communities Grow

June 25, 2020
By Bob Peters

Cornwall Ontario — As the province begins its economic recovery, the government is launching the 2020-21 edition of the Francophone Community Grants Program to support Ontario’s francophone businesses and community organizations, as well as those that serve French-speaking Ontarians.

“Our government is committed to supporting Ontario’s Francophone community through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond,” said Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Francophone Affairs. “This year’s investment in the Francophone Community Grants Program will help Francophone organizations and businesses implement new projects and initiatives and contribute to our recovery.”

The Francophone Community Grants Program is a two-stream, application-based funding program. Funding provided under the Economic Development stream helps francophone entrepreneurs and businesses improve front-line services and better serve their French-speaking clients and partners. Under the Cultural and Community stream, the Program invests in local cultural and community initiatives, demonstrating the government’s ongoing commitment to protecting and promoting the French language and culture.

The Program supports projects which strengthen the capacity of organizations to provide products and services in French, promote the recruitment and training of bilingual staff, or provide opportunities to celebrate and foster understanding of Ontario’s Francophonie. This year, the Economic Development stream has been extended to include not-for-profit organizations, in addition to for-profit organizations.

“This is an important step in building the capacity of Francophone organizations across Ontario to support our communities and bring Ontario on the path to recovery,” added Minister Mulroney. “By investing in new projects, our government will leverage the economic strengths of Ontario’s Francophonie and help francophone organizations and businesses across the province face these unprecedented times.”

Quick Facts

As was done last year, applications must be submitted through the Transfer Payment Ontario portal. Applications are open from June 24 to August 5, 2020 and projects must be implemented between October 15, 2020 and March 31, 2021.
Ontario is investing $1 million through the Francophone Community Grants Program in 2020-2021.
Improvements have been made to the Program this year to make it easier for organizations to apply and receive funding: under the Community and Culture Stream, the minimum operating budget required has been reduced to $10,000 from $50,000; under the Economic Development Stream, the minimum annual revenue required has been lowered to $50,000 from $100,000 and the minimum number of full-time employees (FTEs) has been reduced to one, instead of three; not-for-profit organizations are now also eligible under Economic Development stream; applicants under both streams can request funding of up to $50,000.

Business Reopening Toolkit

Cornwall Economic Development has put together a toolkit to help businesses reopen. The toolkit includes guidelines and a maximum occupancy calculator along with signs and posters that can be downloaded and printed – along with the new Ontario guide: