Eligible recipients located in the 1000 Islands CDC service territory may include:

• Private, for-profit, traditional SMEs with the potential to grow through innovation.
• Fourth Pillar Not-For-Profit organizations supporting business and community transition into the new rural economy.

Projects in the following priority sectors will be considered:

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Clean Tech
• Digital Industries
• Agri­food
• Food Processing
• Projects that focus on inclusiveness: youth, women entrepreneurs, Indigenous peoples, Official Language Minority Communities, persons with disabilities, immigrants and visible minorities.

Eligible activities should expand business growth and allow SMEs to transition into the new rural economy, support the adoption of advanced business and innovation processes such as:

• New materials 
• Integrated solutions
• Rapid prototyping and engineering         
•  Machine learning
• Cutting edge services software
• Cloud computing
•  Robotics and automation
• Extended intelligence, etc.

Fourth Pillar NFP projects should be business focussed, align with federal government economic development priorities, support priority industry sectors and inclusiveness related priorities. Examples of eligible project activities could include:

• Support programs for re-skilling of the industrial workforce
• Business accelerators and hubs diversifying and transitioning local economies

Selected projects will be eligible for a non-repayable performance-based contribution and require a minimum 50 percent cash contribution by the recipient on eligible expenses net of HST. The minimum project size for an RIIEO – 1000 Islands CDC local stream project is $50,000 resulting in a minimum contribution of $25,000 by the recipient.

Eligible costs for project activities may include:

• Labour
• Expertise
• Non-Capital
• Capital

All costs must be reasonable and directly related to the eligible project activities.

Ineligible and/or Unsupported Costs include:

• Any costs deemed not reasonable and/or not directly related to the eligible project activities.
• Activities in support of regular maintenance and/or ongoing operational costs.
• Cost incurred prior to the eligibility date as defined in the Contribution Agreement.
• Costs incurred after December 31, 2020.
• Any cost that is ineligible under the Contribution Agreement.
• Acquisition of land or buildings.

Eligible recipients must demonstrate that they are prepared to and have mechanisms in place to submit data, schedules, plans and reports in sufficient detail for the 1000 Islands CDC to:

• Assess project progress
• Post project completion monitoring
• Evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of the contributions

Eligible recipients will provide the 1000 Islands CDC with Progress/Activity Reports and financial claims on a monthly basis, quarterly or as required and outlined in the Contribution Agreement.

Local Stream – 1000 Islands CDC

1. Submission – Submit your completed application.
2. Due Diligence – 1000 Islands CDC staff carry out review, due diligence and project development.
3. Committee Review – Committee review and recommendation to Board of Directors.
4. Project Selection – Decision by Board of Directors.

Applicants notified typically within 6 weeks of date of completed application.

If a project is selected for support, 1000 Islands CDC will prepare a Contribution Agreement with terms and conditions.

Financial contributions are performance-based and subject to a 10% holdback until the applicant has completed the project, and met all project requirements as outlined in the Contribution agreement. No project is expected to extend past December 31, 2020.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applicants are encouraged to contact the 1000 Islands CDC to discuss proposed projects prior to submitting an online application.