Who is eligible to apply?
Tourism associations (excluding Regional Tourism Organizations), economic development corporations, municipalities, not-for-profit organizations and businesses interested in undertaking tourism-related initiatives which support tourism product development, industry development and increased visitation.
The Tourism Product Development stream and the Industry Capacity Building stream accept applications from tourism associations (excluding Regional Tourism Organizations), not-for-profit organizations, municipalities, and national and/or provincial industry sector associations.
The Tourism Investment Attraction stream accepts applications from municipalities, economic development corporations and businesses.
What are the mandatory requirements?
Each application must confirm compliance with the following:
- Legal status of organization applying (i.e., established by or under legislation; federally or provincially incorporated; First Nations in the Province of Ontario; proof of registration in Canada or another jurisdiction).
- Applicant is not in default of the terms and conditions of any grant or loan agreement with any ministry or agency of the Government of Ontario (e.g., Ontario Trillium Foundation).
- Applicant has at least $2 million General Commercial Liability insurance coverage.
- None of the proposed expenses will be used for recurring costs to run the applicant organization.
- A confirmed cash contribution of at least 20 per cent of the total cash expenses for your proposed project must be made by your organization and a total of 50 per cent by your organization and your project partners.
Further information on eligibility criteria is in the application guide.
What are the eligible expenses?
Eligible expenses for Tourism Development Fund applications include, but are not limited to:
- Consulting services and project management.
- Research costs.
- Tourism sector strategic planning.
- Business plan support, economic assessments and feasibility studies.
- Organizational development and capacity building.
- Conference organization costs including speaker fees.
- Project-related permits, fees and other similar charges.
- Other costs deemed reasonable.
Further information on program requirements is in the application guide. For complete details on the Tourism Development Fund program eligibility requirements, please refer to the Tourism Development Fund 2015 Application Guide and the Tourism Development Fund Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
Grant Opportunities
Approved Grants